Rise of the Jedi
by sonicXben
Summary: After Order 66 wiped out the Jedi, Sander Blanco, a misfit in the old Order, flees to another galaxy, which is home to Remnant. But even traveling to another galaxy can't keep his past at bay. Thus, he must embrace his new family, work with others and defeat ancient powers gearing up for war. Even in the most bleak moments, there will always be a beacon of hope for a better future.
1. Prologue: RWBY Dark Gold Trailer

**Hi everyone! This is the start of another RWBY story I've had in mind for a while. I hope you like it.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars or RWBY.**

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 _ **Updated: 4/9/17**_

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 **Nobody's POV:**

Order 66.

The fateful, pre-laid plan set up in the form of control chips that would brainwash the massive clone armies of the Galactic Republic and make them betray the generals they have worked with for years, the Jedi Knights.

For over a thousand generations, these Jedi Knights maintained peace and justice throughout the galaxy with only their legendary weapons, the lightsaber, and the mystical energy field known as the Force as their main ally against terrifying odds. However, Order 66 managed to change everything.

On that fateful night, thousands upon thousands of clone soldiers marched into the Jedi Temple on the planet Corusant, led by Anakin Skywalker, only hours before claiming the title of Darth Vader, the next Dark Lord of the Sith, the organization hiding in plain sight that has plotted the ultimate way onto how they can destroy the Jedi for over a thousand years. The clone army stormed into the temple, blasting Jedi in their way.

The fights that went down between the two sides were short, brutal and always ended with the Jedi falling dead no matter how hard they fought.

Meanwhile, around the galaxy, Jedi Knights and Masters who still fought in the Clone Wars were also turned on and ruthlessly gunned down. Only a few Jedi; Masters, Knights and Padawans still in the field, managed to escape the betrayal and had already gone into hiding.

While the Clone soldiers exterminated more Jedi Knights, Anakin Skywalker went up to the chamber room, where he sensed the younglings hiding. Killing anyone who stood in his way, he entered the chamber. No matter how young and innocent the younglings looked, he didn't let it distract him and activated his lightsaber after one of them had the courage to speak to him. While the job was short and sickening, it also ensured that they couldn't grow up and rebel against the Galactic Empire that's on the verge of forming.

Unfortunately for Anakin, one 7-year old Padawan was hiding away in another room, knowing that sticking with the other younglings was a bad idea. The doors to the room quickly opened and a wounded Jedi woman came running in, clutching her injured shoulder. She had dark purple eyes and blonde hair that fell to her shoulders.

"Sander, where are you?" Leia Haggar asked, frantically searching the room for her missing Padawan.

In response, 2 blue blasters went off, causing her to fall to the ground and lay there, pretending to be dead so she can strike. But with how badly she's bleeding out, that option won't work this time. Two clone soldiers stepped into the room, sweeping around for any stragglers. "You go on ahead. I'll keep looking in here." the first one said. His partner nodded and walked out of the room. The lone soldier swept the room for several minutes before his body froze in place.

All the bones in his body have simultaneously shattered and the soldier fell to the ground, dead. A 7-year old human boy in traditional Jedi robes came out of his hiding place to get a better look at his deed.

This boy has sandy blonde hair that's between being neat and messy, golden-blue eyes and fairly pale skin. Without assessing the scene before him more than needed, he ran over to his master who flips over and stares at him, just barely holding on to life.

"Sander Blanco, I'm sorry that I didn't see this coming and as a result of our blindness, the Jedi have fallen today. Take this message I made and keep it safe. Only activate it when the Force tells you the time is right." She said and handed her Padawan a recording device. She coughed violently before continuing. "In the docking bay, put your hand on the retinal scanner on the circle in the center. You shall find a special starship that we've been working on since the Galaxy's greatest enemy was defeated, installing pieces of their technology to it. Use this ship to take you as far away from here as possible. Wherever you go, make sure you fight for your new life. May the Force be with you, my Padawan." She smiled before falling limp. With that, another respected Jedi Knight died.

Sander wanted to grieve over his fallen mentor and mother figure, but there's no time for such things. He now knew what to do. Quickly, he gets an idea and grabbed the dead clone soldier by the legs and dragged the corpse into an alcove so no one can find the body right away.

About 5 minutes later, Sander came wobbling out in the clone soldier's armor, his bag full of every single one of his personal possessions on his shoulder that he kept with him. It took a lot of concentration, but he managed to solidify the Force around him, allowing him to fit perfectly inside the armor.

Blaster in hand, Sander looked at his mentor's body one last time, pulling her cloak off and putting it into his bag so that he would never forget her, before running out the doors that slid open.

He snuck down the vast halls, thankfully unrecognized by the other clones since they ran past him without sparing a second look, and successfully made it to the docking bays. He ran to the center of the room and placed his hand on the disguised hand scanner where his mentor said it would be.

An audible clicking sound went off and the circle split open, and a new starship rose up. It didn't appear out of the ordinary, just a larger version of a Freighter ship used to constantly travel from the Inner Rim to the Outer Rim. The hatch opened up, permitting entrance onto the ship.

Sander ran onboard the ship and began making preparations for departure. He took off his new spoils of war and put it in a corner, along with his bag. He pushes the activate button and the engines hum to life.

Of course, he wasn't out of the woods yet. The doors to the docking bay opened up, revealing 5 fully armed clone soldiers. Sander ran out of the cockpit and faced the soldiers. They let out a barrage of blaster fire, only for Sander to expertly evade them all. He held up his hand and concentrated on his hatred at the clones for taking the one person that he truly respected. A rush of power came from within him, a tidal wave that Sander only just manages to keep under control.

Suddenly, a huge wave of black fire erupted from Sander's palm and rocketed towards the clones. The fire hits the soldiers, who scream in agony and fall to the ground, completely barbecued and steam curling off their bodies.

Sander and his master discovered during the Clone Wars that Sander's soul had somehow manifested into 2 vastly different powers: One acted as an overshield of sorts to block blasts and the other an uncanny mastery over fire that changes color depending on Sander's emotions. It can even draw on the Force all around to either enhance the flames or hinder them as an option. But the odd part is that he can only focus on the Force's Light Side, but never on the Dark Side's energy, as if the Dark Side itself is trying to stay away from him at all times. Only Grandmaster Yoda and Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi understand Sander's unique situation and they understand that through the Force's will, these powers will aid the young Padawan in the distant future.

The ship began humming with energy and Sander runs back aboard the ship, closing the hatch on the way up, and pulled a lever. In an instant, the ship took off and flew out of the Temple. Thanks to observing the clone pilots for a while, he was able to pull the Freighter into space, hundreds of blaster shots flying at the ship but missing horribly. Thankfully, no starships were nearby so no one can track him. Pushing all of the necessary buttons and entering coordinates, Sander activates the prototype drive and a giant blue Beamspace portal appears in front of the ship, engulfing it altogether.

He had successfully escaped the death and betrayal.

Now having the time, Sander leaned back in his chair and grieved heavily over the loss of his old life, at least the part of his life that actually treated him like an individual.

Over the course of several days, after leaving Beamspace, Sander flies his ship across the galaxy and to the very edge, where the ship barely passes through the magnetic barrier surrounding the galaxy without the ship tearing in half, and drifts its way  
towards a small planet in the neighboring galaxy, where Sander's destiny and true home await him.

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 _AN:_ Yes, I gave Sander Blanco an Aura and Semblance. How he got it, you'll find out soon enough.

*To understand what Beamspace is, you will have to read this story's upcoming prequel. Or continue reading and you will get a basic idea for what it is.

I hope you all like this story.

See you next time!


	2. Chapter 1: Ten Years Later

_**Edited: 12/3/16  
**_

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 **Weiss Schnee's POV:**

I'm excited and eager. In three days, I will be going to Beacon Academy along with my best friend/adopted brother, Sander Blanco. Today, the two of us are spending the day at Vale, restocking our dust ammo and whatever we need before our education at Beacon starts. A good time to finally relax after I performed in a concert and defeated the Giant Armor, despite getting a scar over one eye in the process.

However, I have another reason I wanted to come to Vale with Sander alone. "So, Sander. I would like to ask you something." I tell my friend as we walk down the empty street.

"What's that, Weiss?" asks Sander, sounding curious.

"Well, let's start with yesterday. You had got into trouble with that one police officer for beating up that Faunus thief, and in response you just waved your hand and said something to him and the officer just walked away like nothing was wrong. It's also established fact that you have a fire semblance! Just what else aren't you telling me?!" I nearly shout that last question but didn't. I'm hurting on the inside, knowing that my friend has lied to me for years.

Sander seems to have realized that as well and lowers his head in shame, his sandy blonde hair shadowing his face. "Listen, Weiss, I…"

He didn't get to finish that sentence as he jerked his head up, an alarmed look in his eyes. I am about to ask what's wrong when he tackles me into the alleyway next to us. A split second later, a boom goes off. I look at the spot I was just standing at and notice a large scorch mark on the ground. It was the shot from a very powerful sniper rifle.

Sander looks up in the direction of where the shot came from. I also glance in that direction and notice 4 men and 1 woman in White Fang armor on the top of one of the buildings. I knew instantly that those Faunus were behind the shot. They open a service hatch and run down it.

Sander cursed under his breath. "Weiss, get back. This isn't going to be pretty." He said. He got out his scroll and began pushing buttons on it. Suddenly, his locker crashed into the ground in front of him. I'm confused. What else does Sander need? He's already got his double-edged sword strapped onto his back.

"What are you doing?" I asked as Sander entered in a password and opened into his locker, revealing a hollow inside.

"Something I'll probably regret." He answers and slams the locker closed once he's inside. A glowing light came out the vents as Sander did whatever he's doing.

"This is the end for you, Schnee scum." A cold voice said. I whirl around and notice the five Faunus stepping out of the shadows, weapons drawn and gleaming in the sunlight.

Just as the Faunus are about to attack me, the locker opens up, revealing Sander in the most bizarre set of battle armor I've ever seen.

'Just how did Sander make that without me knowing?' I wonder incredulously as I stare at it. The armor is tall, decently bulky and completely red, despite some blue mixed in. The armor itself has many resemblances to a suit of armor from Remnant's medieval age that populates our manor. A long brown cloak attached to both shoulders billows around him with the hood pulled up over his round helmet, which is completely different. On the helmet, 3 black stripes streak down from above the top of each eye to it's mouth, making a stark contrast against the blue helmet. On each triangular shoulder plate that juts out a few inches, Sander's symbol is clearly printed. A sword encased in light blue all surrounded by a grey gear.

The Faunus attackers stared at Sander, also shocked. "White Fang, huh? You should've stayed out of Vale. Too late now." Sander said, his voice more robotic because of the helmet.

In response, the White Fang charged Sander. He ducked and dodged each blast like it was nothing. "When we're done with you, we'll kill the Schnee girl and take your armor so we can improve our chances of attaining our goals." The woman says arrogantly.

I unsheathe my own sword and begin attacking the White Fang. I will not just sit round for them to kill me! "I can tell that your anger towards humanity has consumed you. Since I can't persuade you to leave me or my friend alone, I will do what I must." Sander answers coldly and pulls a strange, silver metal cylinder with a black handle clipped onto the armor's utility belt. He pushes a button of sorts and to my amazement, out comes a long beam of blue energy.

He swung it around gracefully, hitting Faunus dead on. It took a couple hits for their Aura to drain before he could do any real damage. However, with the futuristic weapon at his side, the attackers stood no chance of trying to beat him. Two of them got too close and I attacked them while Sander cut the two Faunus in half. Whirling around, he sent a wave of bright red fire at the last three Faunus, who crumbled to ashes.

I stare at the scene before me, stunned and horrified; I may see the White Fang as the savage animals they are now, I would not wish death like this on them. I'm about to ask what just happened when I heard sirens going off. Someone had heard our fight and now the police are on their way. Sander cursed rather harshly under his breath and pushed some buttons on his locker. It rockets away into the distance. He then picks me up and we continue down the dark alleyway. Thankfully, no one lived here so no one stopped us. Then we hit a dead end.

"Uh, Sander? What are you doing?" I ask him. He doesn't respond, just gets into a jumping position. He jumps before I can demand what's going on. To my shock, we rocket over the wall and land on our feet on top. He sets me down.

"There's a train that's passing by. We'll be safe there. Come on!" he says. We sprint as fast as possible down the road. Sure enough, a train is passing by us at a fast pace.

Knowing we had nowhere else to go, we jump onto the moving train. I stumble and fall, unused to doing that, but Sander lands on his feet like he's done this a thousand times. It really makes me wonder what he did in the past to get like this.

Sander sat down, took off his helmet, and pulls out his scroll from a compartment on his armor and begins typing away on it. After a few minutes, he puts it down.

"I just told your Dad that we escaped from an ambush on five White Fang members. He's sending in a helicopter to pick us up and take us back home until it's deemed safe to return. It'll be here in an hour." Sander said, before glancing at me. "In the meantime, we have a lot to talk about."

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 _AN:_ I hope you like this chapter. I wanted a battle between Weiss and Sander vs. the White Fang.

Anyway, see you all next chapter, when Sander Blanco reveals his life to Weiss.


	3. Chapter 2: Memory Lane

**Sander Blanco's POV:**

I sit down on the train, collecting my thoughts for the long lecture.

It has been 10 years since the life in my old galaxy was destroyed, after all.

"Well, Weiss, there's only 1 way to begin: What do you think of my energy sword?" I ask, holding out the lightsaber hilt.

She pondered the question and answered, "Well, I'll be honest. You're weapon certainly looks…other-worldly. It's unlike anything I've seen before."

I smile at the answer. She's hit the mark. "That's because it is not from around here."

Weiss looked at me, utterly confused. Then she realized what I meant, and stared at me calculatingly. "You can't be serious." Then she realized I am being serious for once. "OK. So you are serious. So what exactly are you?"

"Well, I'm human, no different than you. However, as for where I'm from, I hail from the planet Corusant, the capital of the Old Republic, the official government for the next galaxy over. That was before the dark times. Before the Empire." I answer, spitting out that last sentence bitterly.

Thanks to my starship picking up galactic news before I left that galaxy, I learned that Chancellor Palpatine, who I guessed is the evasive Darth Sidious the Jedi have been ceaselessly searching for, had reorganized the Republic into a Galactic Empire. It made me furious that the one we've been looking for for years had been hiding under our very noses the whole time. For the Jedi not predicting the betrayal sooner, and believing the stories of them being invincible, they were destroyed.

Weiss picked up on the hateful tone of the last sentence and asked her next questions cautiously. "If you're from another galaxy, why are you here? Also, what is this 'Empire' you mentioned?"

I lower my head, forcing myself to relive everything. "To get the whole story, you need to know about what I was once a part of. When I was 6 months old, I was taken into an order of knights known as the Jedi. I was a Padawan, a Knight-in-Training. We can be distinguished by this." I lecture, holding up my single braid of sandy blonde hair with distaste. Weiss looked shocked at how young I was when I joined, but continued. "Anyway, the Jedi were the guardians of peace and justice for the Old Republic. What really spread the rumors of us being invincible was the fact that we have the mystical energy field known as the Force as our ally. It is a energy field which is created by all living things. It surrounds us, penetrates us, binds the very universe together. You saw me use it many times. That officer I controlled yesterday, I used a Jedi Mind Trick on him, called Force Persuasion."

I took a long breath and continue, knowing this is the sensitive part. "I trained as a Jedi for the next few years until I was 4. That was when the first galaxy-wide, 3-year long war that occurred in eons began. It was called the Clone Wars. It got the name because the 2 sides of the war had enormous disposable armies at their backs. The Old Republic had a massive army of clone soldiers, who are bred to be the perfect soldiers. They were spear-headed by the Jedi Knights. I even fought in the War for the last 2 years. The Confederacy of Independent Systems, on the other hand, were members of the Republic, but seceded as they felt that the Senate had grown too corrupt to do shit. They used an army of battle droids to fight for them. However, what really made the Separatists a threat to the Jedi and the Republic was that they were unofficially led by the goddamn Sith."

"The Sith? Are they related to the Jedi in any way?" Weiss asked, sounding more and more curious with my story.

"You're right, Weiss. Sort of. The Sith are the utter opposites of the Jedi. While the Jedi use the Light side of the Force to keep balance and neglect emotions, something I never did because that rule was f***ed up, the Sith, easily determined by their bloodshot amber eyes and their overly sadistic ways, used the Dark Side of the Force to bring chaos and destruction. The Dark Side is very powerful and tempting to all. Once you start down that path, no one returns. In the end, they turn into bloodthirsty monsters whom lose the will to live."

Weiss just sat there, trying to digest everything I said. "Wait, you said no one returns?" she whispered, horrified at what it can do.

Then I remember the stories I heard when I was 6 and smile a little. "Just one. I've always enjoyed the stories of Revan, a Jedi Knight who lived 4000 years ago and holds a feat no one else has ever achieved. He mastered both the Light and Dark sides of the Force without falling into the Dark Side's embrace. He had turned into a Sith Lord along with his apprentice, Darth Malak, after the ancient Mandalorian Wars. In the end, Revan saw the error in his ways and crumbled the Sith Empire he created, along with killing his apprentice, before he could annihilate the Republic."

That seemed to amaze Weiss, but she looked like she had just realized something. "You talk about this in past tense. What happened after the Clone Wars?"

The memory of that awful night returned, but I let it out. "The War ended bitterly, to say the least. We were betrayed by the greatest hero of the Clone Wars, Anakin Skywalker. Somehow, he fell to the Dark Side and turned the entire clone army against the Jedi. He slaughtered us like wheat in a field. It was horrible. My mentor, Leia Hagger, was gunned down in her attempt to find me. Technically, I'm supposed to call her Master, but even as a child I refused to do so since it makes me sound like a slave. Anyway, I killed the clone soldier and took his armor as my own. My mentor told me to escape, gave me a message that I can't listen to just yet, and died. After I fled the galaxy in that same starship, the last news I heard before leaving galaxy was that Anakin had also massacred the CIS leaders and Chancellor Palpatine, who was a Sith Lord the Jedi have been after for a long time by the name of Darth Sidious, transformed the Republic into the first Galactic Empire. That all happened 10 years ago."

Tears had begun to fall at the memory of everything going wrong. Weiss realized she hit a sore spot and tried to apologize, but then a familiar sound filled the air. We both look up and see a Bullhead bearing the Schnee Dust Company symbol on the side sitting at the landing bay. "It's alright, Weiss. I needed it all out anyway. If you want to talk about later, alone of course, don't hesitate to ask."

She nodded and we jumped off the moving train and onto the ground. I put my helmet back on and we boarded the airship.

"I'm glad to see you 2 in good shape. Weiss, what's wrong? You look pale." Mrs. Schnee asks her daughter, sounding concerned. Out of the entire family that I have varying amounts of respect for, the lowest being that under-handed Jacques, she's one of my favorite people. Even if she has a drinking issue. Honestly, how Jacques and Mrs. Schnee ever got together and why they took me in is beyond me.

"I'm fine. Just surprised at the White Fang's unusual appearance." She answered.

She looks at Weiss with a hint of suspicion, but comes to a conclusion and drops the subject, just as we took off into the air. I can only hope that I can have a fresh start at a new and better life.

If only I knew what awaited me at Beacon Academy.

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 _AN:_ I hope you like the explanation to Weiss. This is more of a filler chapter.

I promise there will be more action in the future.

Later!


	4. Chapter 3: Day 1 at Beacon

**Sander Blanco's POV:**

The next 3 days are productive, to say the least.

Me and Weiss completely stocked up on dust, got all of our possessions packed up for our many semesters at Beacon, despite Jacques's disapproval, honed our fighting techniques and I even tell her a handful of war stories from the Clone Wars. Ever since I told her about my old life, we have become closer friends than ever.

All too soon, it is finally time to go to Beacon Academy, the fabled Huntsman Academy I have heard so many good things about. We loaded all of our gear and luggage onto a private Bullhead, courtesy of the Schnee Dust Company, and it started our long journey to Vale.

Even though I haven't meditated to attain a greater understanding of the Force's will in years, I am absolutely positive that the Force wants me to become a Huntsman, to protect humanity from the Grimm, creatures I am positive are somehow born from the Dark Side of the Force, that are ravaging the planet. After several hours of flight that I burned by playing some of my favorite video games, we land at one of the private docking bays at Beacon Academy. We grabbed our luggage and walk off the ship and get our first actual view of the famed Academy. It stood tall and proud, looking like a modern castle. The highest tower is also a beacon, which is symbolic for hope for the people of Vale. In a handful of ways, this Academy reminds me of the Jedi Temple on Corusant. So many sad memories fly through my head at that thought, but I successfully keep them controlled.

It took more effort than I was expecting, but we began to haul our stuff to the Academy. Among all our stuff is our weapons. While Weiss uses her Dust-based rapier, I prefer a dark gold double-edged sword that can transform into a powerful, custom made double-barrel shotgun I named Star Blaster in substitute for my silver lightsaber. That is, until something slammed into me, which knocked over a suitcase full of Dust. I look up to see a pale girl with black hair with some red accents in it, along with rather unusual silver eyes quickly apologizing to Weiss, who didn't look happy.

She began yelling at the red and black-themed girl, holding a vial of fire dust in front of the poor girl's nose. What happened next is downright hilarious. She let loose a huge sneeze, which caused a miniature explosion and covered by best friend in soot and ash. I didn't need the Force to realize that Weiss is going to shout at the other girl so loudly that would probably break my eardrums. To prevent something like that from happening, I somersault onto my feet and walk over to the girl, cutting off the triad that was about to go down. "It's alright. Just watch where you're going, OK?" I tell her.

The girl quickly nodded. "OK. I'm Ruby Rose, by the way. Well, see you later." She said and ran off, leaving behind…rose petals? Huh?

Weiss huffed, but we head to the Academy. Later on today, our stuff will be put in our assigned lockers. I make to sure to have my specially modified locker for my battle armor also make the trip.

We enter the Academy's auditorium and just mill around, having a look at who else will be attending Beacon Academy. Weiss nearly sneers when we notice that quite a few of the new students are Faunus. The Schnee family and the Faunus are almost on the hate level of the Jedi and the Sith, and I thought such a thing was impossible.

I am broken from my concentration when I hear that girl Ruby's voice. I look over in the direction I heard the voice and notice Ruby talking with a blonde girl who looked like a brawler.

"Her again. I have some unfinished business." Weiss said, getting out the paperwork and stormed over to the 2 girls. It's when Weiss and the blonde girl were arguing did I have a good look at her face. My body froze in place and disbelief rose up in my stomach.

Most of my old galaxy and even the Jedi do not believe in reincarnation. Now, however, I am going to have a look at the concept much closer. The blonde boxer arguing with Weiss looked almost exactly like my old mentor!

Her blonde hair may be much longer and messier, but she has bright purple eyes and is obviously skilled in close range combat. Just like my former mentor, Leia. She was always famous for her close range combat fighting style. 'I'll have to watch this girl. See just how similar this girl and my old mentor are.' I think, watching the argument continue.

"So, you've taken an interest in Yang Xiao Long, huh?" a voice said.

I glance in the direction of the voice and notice a tall, well built boy standing nearby. He has naturally tan skin, bright red hair and blue eyes that seem to glow. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. I'm Max Peterson."

"Sander Blanco." I answer, shaking his hand. "As for why I'm staring at that girl, Yang you called her? Anyway, she looks a lot like my old mentor in a now extinct order of knights I used to work for before I came to be with the Schnees." I answer honestly. I felt prompted to befriend Max. He seems like a nice person.

Max's face goes grim and he looks down. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's fine." I answer. However, before the conversation can go any farther, the microphone turns on and my future Headmaster Ozpin stood at the stage, with Headmistress Glynda Goodwitch at his side.

"I'll keep this brief. You have traveled here today in search of knowledge, to hone your craft and acquire new skills. When you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look among you and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose, direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this academy will prove that knowledge can only take you so far. It is up to you to take the first step." Ozpin said in a voice that suggested that he's said this speech many times before.

He walked off and his Deputy took the microphone. "Now, you will gather in the ballroom tonight. Tomorrow your initiation begins. Be ready. Dismissed." She said in a straight-to-the-point, no nonsense manner.

In one giant wave, we headed off towards the ballroom. "See you later, Max!" I tell the boy, who only smiles in response.

Somewhere in the crowd, some other blond guy was making a comment about himself being a natural blonde. What's that all about?

Anyway, we head to the auditorium and grab a nice spot on the left wall where me and Weiss get into our pajamas, roll out our mattresses and unpack some of our stuff. Then I heard a familiar voice. I look over and notice Yang talking to Ruby. Remembering my thoughts from earlier, I stare at her calculatingly. "Well, I'm all…" Weiss says, but notices I'm staring at Yang. "Why are you still staring at that girl like that?" she demands coldly. She obviously isn't happy about their recent argument.

I lean over to Weiss and whisper in her ear. "That girl Yang. She looks so much like my old mentor when I was a Padawan it's scary. I've been watching her to see how similar they are." I answer.

Weiss's cold eyes melt to ones of pure shock then shift to understanding. "Anyway, I'm going to get some sleep for the initiation. See you tomorrow. May the Force be with us." I answer and fall asleep soon after my head hits the pillow.

The only problem is that I had nightmares about the Clone Wars again. Particularly the Republic's and CIS's first encounter with a reborn Empire on Dantooine.

Oh, how I will remember that bitter battle for a long time.


	5. Chapter 4: Team Formations

**Sander Blanco's POV:**

The next morning, I woke up even faster than I would on my birthday or the Solstice celebrations.

I had yet another nightmare about the Clone Wars. It's truly frustrating, but I can't do anything about it at the moment. I sit up and have a look around the ballroom. I'm the first one who is completely awake at the moment. Even Weiss is still sleeping hard. My adoptive sister always liked her sleep.

No matter. I'll be the first to get ready for the Initiation. I get up and head to the showers. Along the way, I noticed that girl Yang sprawled out in her sleeping bag, her hair messier than ever. For some reason, I smile at seeing that. Confused at went through me, I push the emotion back with some effort. I have a quick shower and make my way to the locker room.

I walk down the long hallways of lockers until I come to mine: Locker 333. A truly cruel joke by Fate given my past, but at least Weiss's locker is right next to mine: Locker 334. I open the locker and find my gear sitting in front of me, ready to go.

I decide against using my modified battle armor or my lightsaber for this. I get the feeling I won't need either of them. When I leave the locker room, I have on a blue shirt, khaki shorts, and my favorite green running shoes. Strapped on my back is Star Blaster. "You look ready for a good fight." I heard a very familiar voice say.

I glance to my right and notice Max leaning against the wall, also looking ready for a fight. He has on a pair of jeans and a slate grey shirt under a jet black military-grade jacket. "You bet that I'm ready." I answer.

He smiled in response. It felt good knowing that I've made a friend at this school already. "I have to ask, were you still awake when Yang and Weiss started their second argument last night?" he asked.

"No." I answer, genuinely surprised to hear about it.

"Man, you're lucky. Weiss stormed over to Yang, demanding that she get some sleep, when she notices Yang. The argument the two had was short, but really loud. In the end, they just dropped it and both went to sleep quickly afterwards." Max explained.

"Huh. I've been meaning to ask, how well do you know Yang? You two seem pretty close." I ask, getting interested. He does seem like he knows this Yang girl well.

"We've been friends for a while. Met her while I was traveling the island of Patch. Instead of flirting with me like she did with the other boys, we just became good friends and trained together for a while." Max said.

I dropped the topic for now and we got back to being as prepared as possible.

An hour later, we are all standing in a line on top of a cliff, everyone having a varying look of determination. I however, am screaming in terror on the inside as I look over the edge of the cliff with a blank look. Yup, I have a serious degree of high anxiety, a fear I earned while leading sniper squads in the 333rd clone legion during the Clone Wars. I am broken from my fear fiesta when Ozpin walked up beside our line, with Glynda at his side once again.

"For years, you have trained to become warriors, and today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest." Ozpin announces, only for Glynda to finish the rest.

"Now, I'm sure you have heard rumors about assignment teams. Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates…today."

"What?" Ruby squeaked out, sounding nervous like I do about heights.

"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time at Beacon. It is in your best interest to be paired with someone you can work well." Ozpin continued. Several students groaned at hearing that, but I ignored them. "That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years." Ozpin said.

I blink at hearing that, then grin widely. Aside from the heights, this will be fun. Ruby, however, didn't share my optimism at all, as it seems her reality was shattered while she screamed, "Whaaaattttt?"

Nearby, some orange-haired girl made some remark to her friend, but Ozpin went on. I have to admit, he has a surprising degree of focus. I wouldn't surprise me if he had Jedi training. "After you have partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path, or you will die."

'Gee, that's NOT creepy at all.' I think sarcastically. The blonde guy from yesterday laughed nervously nearby. I could fell his fear rolling off of him in waves as well, thanks to the Force. It seems he didn't see this test coming.

"You will be monitored and graded through the duration of your initiation, but our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path with several relics. Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff. You will guard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately. Are there any questions?" Glynda asked.

No one had any questions about the grimm (haha!) speech, except for the blonde guy, who wanted to know our landing strategy. Then, one by one, the students were launched towards the Forest.

'Are you fucking kidding me?' I think as I stare with an anime-style dumbfounded look on my face.

I reign in my thoughts again, requiring a large amount of effort, and concentrate on the living Force. While I admit that the no-love Jedi rule is complete bullshit, I do firmly believe that having control over them is a good idea. I glance over at Weiss, who I realize had already launched. I notice Yang wink at Ruby, stare at me for a few seconds before putting on a pair of sunglasses and also get launched into the air. After Ruby and Jaune are launched, I too am thrown into the air. The second I'm in the air, my high anxiety kicks in again and I start screaming, "SHITBISCUITS!"

But thanks to my senses being enhanced thanks to the Force, I rapidly form a momentum-based landing strategy. I grab one of the tree branches, slowing my momentum down, but I let go to land my feet on the side of a nearby tree, then push myself onto another branch, from which I swing onto the ground. "Touchdown!" I shout, pointing my arms to the sky with my 2 index fingers straight.

I flake off any dust on my shirt, my legs still shaking a little from the experience and observe of my new environment. Hopefully I can find Weiss. Ruby seems nice, if blind to life's darker side and Yang...I don't know her enough to formulate a summary. Suddenly, a loud crash rang out nearby and the ground spewed a lot of dust into the air. Not the crystals, of course. From out of the cloud comes Max. For a split second, his skin appeared shiny, almost metallic, before returning to it's normal tan color. What's weird is that in that moment, I could sense something different about Max, but I can't place it. I'll worry about that later.

"What's up? Trying to stick the landing like I did?" I call to the guy while I lean against a nearby tree, my fear now under control.

Max looks at me, startled, but relaxes when he sees me. "Nothing, bro. I'm just happy that I got a friend as a teammate and not some random stranger." He answers.

I nod in genuine understanding. "Race you to the temple?" I ask, getting into a runner's lunge in the direction Ozpin told us the temple is.

"You're so going to lose." Max challenges and we sprint through the forest. Thanks to my experience in the Clone Wars, I'm a master at running through hostile territory. I obviously surprised Max with it, but we kept going, until I stopped suddenly.

I heard a battle going down nearby. Maybe Weiss is there. Max also stopped. "Let's go help some Initiates." Max suggested.

He unsheathed his weapons while I followed suite. Max's swords are large and single-edged with red stripes painted all over them. I didn't recognize the style of the swords, but I could tell that they're deadly. We ran into the clearing and noticed a DeathStalker and it's 2 combatants. A long, dirty blonde haired girl with bright green eyes and wearing green robes was waving a cutlass around, levitating boulders that smashed into the Grimm's face, which roared in rage. Her partner, on the other hand, looked very shady. He had a black shirt under a black chestplate and dark blue jeans, along with a sleek black helmet over his head, but I could see that he has large bags under his chocolate eyes. He is swinging around a double-edged blade that is attached to the handle by a thick chain.

While the DeathStalker is distracted, me and Max charge. Max slammed his blades into the Grimm's head while I dived under it's belly and made quick slashes. I crawl out from under the Grimm before it could collapse on me.

"Well, that was dramatic." The gothic-dressed boy said. He retracts his blade back to its handle and sheathes his weapon, along with his partner. He also takes off his helmet, revealing messy hair as black as his helmet.

"Thanks for the help. That Grimm was getting really annoying. I'm Penny Goodwitch and this is my partner, Alec Wolfenstein." Penny said. Alec nodded, flashing a 'peace' sign when his name was called.

"Nice to meet you both. So, since we're kind of stuck together, what do you say that we get our relics and then get to know each other better once we're all done?" I suggest.

The duo look at each other. They nod their heads and we start sprinting at a brisk yet relaxed pace. Alec got his helmet back on along the way. It doesn't take long before we found the temple. Nearby, another fight is already going on between a bunch of Initiates, my adoptive sister included, and a Nevermore at ancient-looking ruins in the center of a large pit. I turn my attention away from the battle and to the temple. I felt the Force prompt me to grab the white king piece. The others also grabbed the other king pieces.

When I return my attention to the battle, I notice something huge. The Dark Side of the Force pulsed almost unnaturally inside and around the ruins. It creeped me out. I felt my body having a strange sensation in the dark energy's presence. "What's the plan?" I ask Ruby as we join the group.

They all looked surprised at our entrance, but didn't say anything against it. "Yeah, you bring the Grimm to the ground and keep it there until our trap is set." Ruby said.

I climbed up the walls and jump onto the Grimm's back. There's only one way to bring this thing down that comes to mind, but it's extremely risky. I think about the time I learned of what Jabba the Hutt did to his citizens and my unhappiness about it. What I didn't expect is for a strange sensation from within me to stir, probably enhancing my semblance by a thousand times. Waves upon waves of pure black fire struck the Grimm, which screeched in agony before having to land on the ground. I jump off the Grimm and concentrate with all my might on sealing the fire away while Ruby used the craziest, most absurd tactic I've ever seen. She launched herself at the horribly burned Grimm and ran up the wall, decapitating it when she reached the top.

Everyone stared at me in surprise. "What? I can control fire. But right now, Yang, your sister is an absolute badass." I said.

They still look at me curiously, but nod in agreement with my second statement and we all stare back up at Ruby in amazement after that impressive stunt. I think it's safe to say our initiation is over.

* * *

"Russel Thrush. Cardin Winchester. Dove Bronzewing. Sky Lark. For collecting the black bishop pieces, you shall work together as Team CRDL (Cardinal) led by Cardin Winchester." Ozpin announced when we are all back at the auditorium. The new team got some polite claps as they walked off the stage.

"Jaune Arc. Nora Valkyrie. Pyrrha Nikos. Lie Ren. For collecting the white rook pieces, you shall work together as Team JNPR (Juniper) led by Jaune Arc." The blonde guy, Jaune, looked thunderstruck when he heard that. I can't say I blame him. Pyrrha tried to make him feel better and hit his shoulder, only for the boy to get knocked to the ground, to everyone's amusement.

"Ruby Rose. Weiss Schnee. Blake Belladonna. Yang Xiao Long. For retrieving the white knight pieces, you shall work together as Team RWBY, led by Ruby Rose." Ruby was also shocked at that news, while I felt bad for Weiss, who looked like she's been slapped across the face.

"I'm so proud of you!" Yang said, hugging Ruby. The 4 walked off the stage, while Ruby still looked surprised. Now it's our turn. We got up and stood up in front of the Headmaster.

"Sander Blanco. Penny Goodwitch. Alec Wolfenstein. Max Peterson. For collecting the white king pieces, you shall work together as Team SPAM, led by Sander Blanco." The others looked happy about that, but I internally winced.

Weiss is most definitely not happy about the team formations.

Once the new teams have been formed, we were all escorted to our dormitories, where our luggage is waiting. Tomorrow, classes begin.

However, before I could head into my dorm with my teammates, I got pulled aside by Weiss. She led me down the hall and asked her big question. "What happened in the forest, Sander? I can honestly say I've never seen your semblance that strong before." She asked, concerned.

I look around and whisper in her ear. "The Dark Side, Weiss. It pulsed at the ruins in the Forest far stronger than it should. I think the darkness there enhanced my powers immensely. Those ruins are nearly as bad as a the worst battle the Republic ever participated in, fought on Dantooine during the Clone Wars. As I said, that battle was ugly." At least, I hoped I just used the Dark Side as fuel. But something tells me that there's more to it than meets the eye.

Weiss looks horrified at hearing that. "Until I am stronger in the Force, I can't do anything about it right now except avoid it. I'll be OK." Weiss didn't look that reassured, but did relax a little. "Oh yeah, if Yang asks about why I was staring at her last night, tell her that she looked like my old mentor, who was gunned down by the White Fang." I add.

Weiss quickly nodded and wished me goodnight. I said goodnight in return and head back into my dorm to get some sleep. But not before popping in some good rock n' roll music into a music player on my desk and let the album play all night to soothe my anxieties.

* * *

 _AN:_ Longest chapter thus far!

Please don't expect future chapters to be this long in the future.

Thanks for all the support you have given this story.

Later!


	6. Chapter 5: A Mystery and 'Yellow Eyes'

**Yang Xiao Long's POV:**

Tomorrow morning, I need to speak with Weiss's friend, Sander Blanco.

He seems mysterious and able to throw his own punches, not to mention he's cuter than most guys I've met in my life. I was going to flirt with him tomorrow to see what he's made of, but after today, that idea's gone out the window.

It started when I saw his semblance, the ability to summon that huge amount of black fire that mortally wounded the Nevermore. Something about that fire just...felt evil. To be fair, I was feeling like shit in that area anyway. Something about those ruins felt wrong. To top it off, when I talked to Weiss about Sander and teased her about his tendency to glance at me last night, she told the rest of us that I looked scarily like Sander's old trainer, who was killed by the White Fang years ago.

I felt a prickle of fear in the room at that, but it went away quickly. Yes, I realized that I could sense strange things around me. I could sense when Dad was anxious, when Uncle Qrow was about to start up some perverted story, when Ruby would run to the nearest weapons shop. As I got older, I could even somehow sense my opponent's next moves before they happened, giving me an unprecedented advantage in fights.

It was strange, but I somehow succeeded in keeping it all hidden from my family.

After I thought about it for an hour while lying in bed, I fell asleep. Suddenly, a strange sensation filled my body. My eyes shot open and I find myself in an unfamiliar bed. I jump out of bed and look around. I find myself in a circular room so foreign I'm not sure where on Remnant I am.

I notice a window and walk towards it to have a better look at where I am. The sight that meets my eyes is amazing. It's nighttime in a huge city that had technology that I've never seen before. The weird thing is that I don't see any natural plant life anywhere.

As I continue to stare at the scene before me, I fail to hear the faint footsteps of a coming army. I turn around when I heard loud screaming from the hall outside. I run towards the door and…pass through it? This is the weirdest dream I've ever had.

What I see what awaits me on the other side, my heart stops cold.

I'm in a large temple of sorts that has 2 levels. On the ground level, an army of soldiers in strange white battle armor with blue stripes marched into the temple by the thousands. They held their guns out and fired lazers of some kind upon people and strange creatures I somehow know aren't Faunus. The warriors, garbed in brown robes and wielding swords made of some kind of lazer, fought back against the soldiers valiantly.

However, it was in vain as they fell dead at the soldier's feet. I leaned against the railing and touched my chest. For some reason, my very soul ached at the deaths. It's almost like I could _feel_ the deaths happening. Then I heard shouts and I turn my head in the sound's direction.

Another one of the warriors that wielded a green beamsabre fought another cloaked man that wielded a blue sabre. It's obvious that this man is behind the massacre. The man is obviously a master with close range combat and easily cuts his opponent in half. The man deactivated his blue beamsabre and walked past the body. I stood there, frozen in shock.

Who is this man?

When he came past me, he paused. He turns his head in my direction and I got my first good look at the man's face. His skin is pale and he has curly dark brown hair.

However, what really iced my body is his bloodshot, amber eyes. They radiated evil that made Sander's black fire feel almost petty. He straightened his head and kept walking forward. Interested to know what he's up to, I follow.

We went to a side room and the door opened. We went inside and the doors closed. Then a bunch of children came out from behind of the chairs and one child walked up to the man. I tried to tell them to run away, but they couldn't hear me. "Master Skywalker, there are too many. What are we going to do?" asked the boy. That stopped me from continuing my warnings as a realization hit me. This man betrayed his own people! But for what purpose?

'Yellow-Eyes' Skywalker didn't respond, but unsheathed his beamsabre and activated it. Knowing what's about to happen, I run about the door. Even outside the closed door, I could hear the screams from inside. I covered my mouth in horror.

How can that man do such monstrous things?!

Then I felt a pull towards another area and seeing no reason to stick around, I head there. The pull led me to another one of the soldiers, but this one is different. It seemed like he is trying to sneak somewhere. He went onto some kind of docking bay and placed his hand on seemingly nothing. Then the ground split open, revealing another, more advanced-looking ship. The soldier stepped aboard the ship and set his bag to the side. He even took his armor off and put it with the bag in a corner.

It is who lay underneath that made me so confused. A 7–year old looking boy who should not have fit in the suit in the first place with sandy blonde hair and golden-blue eyes, who looked so much like Sander, came out and began pushing buttons at the control panel. He had on the same robes as the rest of the warriors who live here. What are they, some kind of monks? As the engines hum to life, 5 soldiers march into the docking bay, guns raised.

The boy ran out of the ship and dodged the blasts before holding up his hands. Sadness radiated around the boy as a huge wave of black fire, even darker than the fire I saw at the Initiation, flew from his hands and hit the soldiers. Within seconds, they all fell to the ground, roasted to a crisp. Tears leaked down his face as he reenters his ship. The hatch closes and the ship takes off.

The boy is gone.

The doors open, and to my horror, 'Yellow-Eyes' stepped out, having a look around. Two more soldiers are at his back. "Find whoever did this. Make them pay for defying the Empire." The man said. His voice is deep and cold. The soldiers saluted in a weird way and searched the room. The dream goes dark.

I shoot out of bed, panting. I look down and realize that I'm completely covered in cold sweat. My heart is still racing and I still feel like I've been through a freezer. Thank Monty Oum that none of my teammates are awake yet. I look over at the clock and notice that it's 3am.

Shakily, I wipe the sweat off and go back to sleep, rattled from my dream. Thank goodness that I didn't have another one like it.

When I wake up again, Ruby and Blake are beginning to stir. I get up, have a shower, and get ready to unpack. I'll just act the same way I usually do so no one can look at me like I'm mental.

While in the shower, I made a decision.

I will find out more about Sander Blanco and what he has to do with the dream that I had.


	7. Chapter 6: The First Day and Anger

_Underline-italic_ = spirit talk

* * *

 **Yang Xiao Long's POV:**

I finished my shower and got into my school uniform. My step-sister, Ruby, forcefully woke up Weiss Schnee using a whistle, much to her annoyance, and we all pitched in to set up our dorm room. Every once in a while, I would glance outside the window and get a good look at the Academy grounds.

There are many flower beds and lots of grass that gleamed in the morning sunlight. So peaceful. Quite the opposite from that vast city I saw in my dreams. Or that temple. I involuntarily shiver as I remember 'Yellow Eyes' cold gaze and that aura around him. It was so powerful and evil that he could have been a Grimm in human form.

We lost track of time and had to run to make it to our first class, with seconds to spare. The class ended with Weiss taking down a Bourbatusk, making many mistakes in the fight because of her annoyance at my sister. She acted her usual self the entire time. I will admit, the cartoon spoof of Professor Port was a bit over the top, but it was still very funny.

Afterwards, Weiss begins shouting at Ruby because Weiss feels that she should be team leader. So while they argued, I got to know Teams JNPR and SPAM better. I mean, we will be sharing classes for years. Jaune seems nice, if a little naïve, Pyrrha is studious at class along with being an excellent fighter, Ren is definitely the silent type, while Nora is really hyperactive, which makes me wonder how she got to this point. Maybe it's her semblance keeping her on the fritz.

As for team SPAM are also good people. Max is also a weapons nut, but not on Ruby's scale thankfully, Penny is also very nice, if a little uptight and Alec is about style and some gambling. He even made a comment about how cool my shotgun gauntlets are. Out of everyone on that team, I easily prefer Sander. He's the nicest of his team, cracks jokes and smiles a lot.

Overall, I think that the 12 of us can become the best of friends over time.

The rest of the classes passed without event. The last class of the day is Glynda's class. She teaches us about the most important reason for us being here. To teach us how to fight.

"Now that we're all here, let's begin. In this class, you'll be focusing on your core traits. Weapons, Aura, Coordination and Semblance. Everything that deals with a fight. If I could have 2 volunteers, I can begin class." Glynda said.

I walk down the aisle, with my teammates cheering me on. My opponent is the school's blockhead and bully Cardin Winchester. He heaved his mace on his shoulder, looking smug. We head down to the arena floor and get into fighting positions. I felt elated knowing that Teams JNPR and SPAM are also cheering me on. "You may begin!" Glynda said and the 2 of us charge at each other.

Cardin's attacks are powerful, but bulky and slow. A turtle could avoid his attacks, for crying out loud! I jump out of the way and give him a barrage of punches to the chest. His armor now sported a set of dents. I give him another punch to the chest. Then I felt it. Somehow, I knew that his mace is coming at me from my blind spot and afterwards, he planned on giving me a kick to the chest. I jump into the air, avoiding the mace effectively, spin 90 degrees and slam my fist into Cardin's left cheek. The boy went flying and slammed on his back. He groaned loudly, getting onto one knee. Then the buzzer rang out. Really? That's the end of the match? I'm very disappointed in Cardin.

"As you can see, Ms. Xiao Long was able to change tactics mid-battle, while her opponent, Mr. Winchester, just kept on going attacking with no long-term strategy in mind. That tactic will never work ever. Unfortunately, that's all I have for today. Remember to do your assigned reading. Class dismissed!" Glynda said.

In the distance, the bell gonged, signifying the end of our first day. Ruby cheered and hugged me while Blake smiled at me. The others also looked happy for my victory, except for Weiss, who huffed and walked out the classroom.

"Good job. That was awesome!" Sander said. I smile at the compliment while my heart fluttered inside. Am I beginning to like him?

Anyway, we all head off to dinner, wolf it down, and head back to our dormitories to rest up.

The first day is done.

I see Weiss walk in, a regretful look on her face when nighttime falls. Maybe she's finally given up trying to forcefully take the team's leadership. I smile and fall asleep.

Sadly, my dreams have other ideas. I found myself in a medical chamber of sorts. On the table in the center is the most hideously charred man I've ever seen. I'm genuinely shocked that he's still alive. Three of his limbs were cut off, leaving even more charred stumps. His only limb that's left is already artificial. I have a look at the man and when I feel his aura and see his eyes, I stare in utmost horror.

It's 'Yellow Eyes' Skywalker!

'What on Remnant happened to him to turn out like this?' I wonder. Then I heard it. Metal clinking against metal. I turn around and notice medical robots of a kind I've never seen before approach the table. In their hands are black mechanical limbs. I look around, noticing something missing. Aren't they going to sedate Skywalker while this happens?

The robots reach the table and begin their work on attaching the limbs to Skywalker. While he's still awake. He screamed and writhed on the table in absolute agony. I nearly cover my mouth in horror. Whoever's behind this operation is inhuman at best. Soon, they attached more machinery to him, then put on him a black life support suit armor, then a black mask and a helmet.

The first breaths that came out of that mask are the heaviest, most labored and mechanical breathing I will ever hear.

Then the table rises up, putting Skywalker into a standing position. His arms and head move around a little, adjusting to the new body. From out of the shadows, another man cloaked in black emerges. While Skywalker radiates hatred and power, this man radiates deception and cruelty. It's almost too much for me to bear.

"Darth Vader, can you hear me?" the man asked cautiously. I notice his face and shudder under the fact he also has amber, bloodshot eyes as well as his wrinkled, grey skin.

'Vader' didn't respond immediately, then his voice came out. A strong voice, almost as mechanical as his breathing. "Yes, Master. Tell me. Where is Padmé? Is she safe? Is she alright?" he asked.

Now I'm really confused. This man actually had a relationship? "It seems, in your anger, you…killed her." The other man said, backing up a little.

I could tell that Vader is going through so many emotions. Disbelief, anger, sorrow. "I? I couldn't have! She was alive. I felt it." He said. Power filled the air, crushing against my head.

I jolt awake instantly, in a cold sweat once again. I get out of bed and open the window. I crawl out the window, carefully closing it behind me, and jump onto the roof. I stare up at the moon and think.

What's going on? I've never had dreams like the two I've been through before, my sudden ability to know people's emotions. Why have they suddenly started since I came here to Beacon? That's when it hit me. This all started this semester when Sander came here as well.

What happens next will haunt me forever. Rage and hatred filled up my body, vengeance against him. This sadistic side scared me and I tried to fight it down, only to fail.

I didn't even notice Sander coming up to me, a concerned look on his face. "Yang, what's wrong?" he asked softly.

The darkness lashed out and I give him a tremendous punch to the chest. He went flying over the other side of the roof. The negative emotions inside are beaten out and replaced with horror at my actions. I run to the other side and notice Sander laying there on his back, groaning.

"Are you alright?" I ask and run to him. Before I could help him up, he threw my arm off and glared at me furiously. A couple of tears leaked down his face as he glared at me.

"Why would you do that, Yang? I treated you as a friend. No, you're nothing like my dead mentor, like I had originally hoped. Until you can get a hold of yourself, just stay away from me." He growled at me, sadness burning in his gaze.

He walked off, rubbing his lower back, which seemed to be hit the hardest. When he leaves, I break down sobbing. Distrust of myself began building up. How can I prevent something like this from happening again?

 _"_ _You're time has come. The next step is fast approaching."_ An unfamiliar, male voice said all around me. I raise my head up and look everywhere, trying to find the source of the voice, only to come up empty.

"Who are you?" I ask. I could 'sense' that someone's here, but I can't see who it is.

 _" You shall know me in due time. Don't take offense to these words, but you both took that incident rather well. Don't worry, you will be forgiven this weekend and soon you shall learn to keep the anger at bay. For now, good bye, Yang Xiao Long."_ The voice said no more.

"Hello?" I ask again, looking around to see where the mysterious man disappeared to. Nothing. The tears still came down, but I go back to my dorm and go back to sleep.

I am not looking forward to tomorrow or the rest of the week. But I do hope to truly redeem myself and end this nightmare and maybe even understand these strange abilities greater.

I'm starting to think that I need to be more conscious about what I do and while I shouldn't stop having emotions, I might need to not let them run out of my control so easily from now on.

* * *

 _AN:_ You have no idea how painful it was for me to write this chapter.

However, it is absolutely necessary for what's to come later.

Thanks for all the support you have given me.

See you all next time!


	8. Chapter 7: The Battle with Darkness

_**Updated: 1/18/17**_

* * *

 **Sander Blanco's POV:**

I am extremely confused and saddened.

That's a brief summary of how I feel after Yang attacked me unprovoked last night. I mean, why would she do that? Until I have a solid answer, I'm avoiding her at all times.

That's a little difficult, seeing as we have classes together, but I just pretend she isn't there. Luckily for her, I'm keeping this quiet from our friends, who are curious about my change in attitude. All I told my teammates is that we had a falling out.

After a few days, our first weekend at Beacon Academy arrived. Team RWBY and Team JNPR are spending the day relaxing. We, however, are going to Headmaster Ozpin's office. I got a notification on my scroll that the Headmaster would like to see us ASAP.

I knew that something big is up, so we ran as fast as possible to the elevator that we take up to the top. When we reach our destination, the door opens, revealing a very nice and organized office.

Behind the desk sat Ozpin himself. "Ah, Mr. Blanco. Thank you for coming so quickly on such short notice. I just want to ask you 4 a favor: Can you please check out the Emerald Forest? The Grimm have been acting very strangely as of late. If our surveillance system isn't wrong, some of the Grimm are even growing at unusual rates. I want you to find out exactly what's going on down there." Ozpin said, taking a sip from his mug.

We all look at each other, while a cold feeling settled in my stomach. I have a bad feeling about why this is all happening. "We'll do it." I tell the Headmaster.

"Thank you." Ozpin said, smiling. Wasting no time, we walk back into the elevator and it goes back down to ground level.

"The way you said that, do you have an idea of what's going on?" Max asked curiously.

I nod. "Yes, I do. Everyone, we'll meet at the launch pads we launched from at our Initiation in an hour. We'll climb down and make our way to the old ruins that we fought the Nevermore at. Something tells me that's where we'll find our answer." I respond. The elevator doors open and we all head to the locker rooms and got changed into the clothes we had during our Initiation. Except this time, I'm also wearing a black vest over my blue shirt.

* * *

An hour later, we meet back up at the launch pads. I have Star Blaster on me as well as my lightsaber hidden in my vest. Something tells me that I am going to need it very soon.

"Well, let's hit it!" Alec said, grinning. Penny sighed, but mustered a smile at her friend's antics. Thanks to Penny's semblance, which is strong telekinesis with a degree of conjuration, she creates a wooden ladder that allows us to climb down to the Emerald Forest.

When we touch down on the ground, we quickly make our way through the dark forest. Along the way, we ran into 4 Beowulves, which we easily killed.

We stared at the ancient pillar once we arrive at the clearing. Like the Initiation, I sense the Dark Side of the Force radiate from the ruins, but it seems much more potent than before.

'That's exactly what we need right now. More Dark Side energy.' I think sarcastically.

"OK. So we're here. Exactly what are we looking for?" Alec asked, looking around warily.

I'm about to respond when I felt the Force at the ruins spike in pressure. I look over at the ruins and I nearly jump out of my skin. The darkness became visible and began pulsing, merging with itself at one spot. We all got our weapons out, ready for whatever it is. When the shadows dissipate, a man in a black suit is visible. Hesitantly, I check the presence to see who it manifested into. When I find out who it is, my skin goes pale with terror.

It's Anakin Skywalker!

But what's with the black armor, though? Not to mention his hard and labored breathing. "Greetings, enemies of the Empire. I can sense your presence in the Force. You must be eliminated." Anakin said in a deep voice. While I understood what the Sith Lord said, my comrades looked utterly confused.

Then Anakin turned his head and stared at Alec. "I sense the darkness in you. Locked away so it doesn't go wild and harm anyone. I shall bring out that darkness in you. You shall have power the light will never provide." He said and held up his right hand. Alec doubled over, shouting in agony as he held his head.

Now it's my turn to be confused. What's Anakin talking about it? Apparently, Penny knew as her eyes widened in fear and she grabbed Alec. My team needed to get away fast, so I made a split-second choice. "You guys get out of here! I'll hold him off." I tell them. I wish I can say they stand a chance against Anakin, but they can't. He's got the strongest connection to the Force amongst the Jedi. Even Yoda isn't as connected to the Force as Anakin is!

Penny and Max stared at me like I'm crazy, but they saw my determination. They nodded and left as fast as possible, dragging Alec away. Anakin walked towards me, unclipping his lightsaber from his belt and activating it. The red beam of his lightsaber glowed brightly against his black armor. "You think you can fight me alone? How arrogant. I shall show you the power of the Dark Side of the Force." He said.

In response, I get out my own lightsaber and activate it. The familiar blue glow of my lightsaber calmed me somewhat. I held it out in front of me while I sunk into the Light Side's embrace.

Anakin lunged at me and gave a mighty swing. In retaliation, I brought up my own weapon and blocked his attack. The connected blades made a crashing sound I haven't heard since the days of the Clone Wars. We disconnect and begin swinging at each other violently, trying to get an advantage over the other. Unfortunately, Anakin is legendary for his close range combat style that outclassed even my old mentor during the Clone Wars. I'm having a hard time keeping up because I have to constantly jump out of reach. Eventually, I create an opening using a technique Glynda taught me in class and slash at his left shoulder. My lightsaber just bounces off the armor harmlessly. 'Oh snap. His armor's made of mandalorian iron!' I realize with fear sinking into my heart. Anakin holds out his left hand and pushes it at me. I do the same, knowing that Skywalker is using Force Push. I'm extremely strong in the Force, but even I admit that I am no match for Anakin in Force combat. I get thrown back and crash against one of the trees. Taking advantage of the pause, Anakin get his hands into a circular motion. Then uses a Force technique I've never seen before.

Bright blue lightning began crackling in his hands, forming a sphere. Then he threw the electric ball at me. I jump out of the way and begin my attack again, this time using my Force-enhanced fire semblance. Unfortunately, I didn't notice the boulder coming at me until it was too late. It hit me hard, which then threw me at the ball of electricity.

Pain like I've never felt before coursed through my body. I feel my Aura draining as the pain dulls and extinguishes the electricity. Steam curls off my body as I stood up in defiance to the Sith Lord. He walked towards me, his lightsaber in front. "You're very impressive for a Padawan. You would have had better odds if that other Force-Sensitive, Yang, was with you. Yet I put the 2 of you against each other so you can both die easier." Anakin said.

My eyes widened in shock and regret filled me. So the Dark Side possessed Yang? Now I felt horrible for her. She has no knowledge of her potential and got corrupted by a force she has yet to learn about. I felt worse than ever now.

I lift my lightsaber up and try to attack Anakin again, but my attack is not only parried, but I got disarmed in the process. Without a weapon, Anakin slashed upwards at me. I fall backwards as I felt myself bleeding heavily from my semi-deep cut that went above my left eye. I was half-blinded from the blood that came oozing out. Thankfully, the lightsaber missed my left eye.

Anakin then walked back into view, holding his lightsaber at my neck. "Any last words?" he asked.

I cough a little from the blood, but I know what needs to be said. "Yes. Yang, I'm sorry. I should have realized what was wrong sooner." I answer weakly.

Anakin snarls at my words and lifted his lightsaber up, with the intention of ending me. As he lifts his saber up, I feel a prickle of inner power and some feeling returns to my limbs and I get the crazy idea of rolling out of the way and using one of the trees to impale the Dark Lord, sending him off the cliff in the process.

But before either of us can carry out our intentions, the greatest miracle occurs.

An explosion hits Anakin's chest plate, making him stumble backwards, groaning in pain and Yang comes running out, going at top speed. She throws punch after punch at Anakin. She obviously caught him off-guard as he made no attempts to fight back.

She keeps her attacks up until she gave a mighty uppercut, which sent Skywalker falling into the abyss below. I felt that while the darkness has been weakened greatly, it's still around and will be back. My body relaxes and the surge of power drains away, leaving me exhausted.

Yang then turned around and looked at me. I could see the tears spring to her eyes. She ran over to me, grabbing my lightsaber along the way. She slipped it into my black vest pocket where I hid it before and began hauling me away from the field.

"Oh, Sander, I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you later." She said emotionally while she carried me.

I would say something in response, but the blood loss has finally kicked in and I fall unconscious.

* * *

 _AN:_ I hope you like my rendition of Anakin Skywalker and yes, Yang is indeed redeemed.

This part plays a major role in the future. As for the darkness in Alec, well, I've got something very special for that planned.

Thanks for all your support and I'll see you next time!


	9. Chapter 8: Bonds Strengthened

_Underline-italic_ = spirit talk

* * *

 **Yang Xiao Long's POV:**

* * *

While I had to use a surprising amount of strength in my punches, I managed to beat back that black-armored Darth Vader and send him flying into the chasm where he came from and proceeded to pick Sander up. Wasting no time, I make a mad dash back towards Beacon so the doctors can patch up.

I look down at Sander and tears came down from my eyes worse than before when I see how injured he looks. The nasty gash that Vader made went from Sander's right kidney up to his right eye and a little above his eyebrow. He'd already fallen unconscious from the blood loss and if I didn't hurry, he'd bleed out. No matter how I slice it, this is really bad.

I made it back to the cliffs where Penny is waiting for me. When she saw Sander, her face went ghostly pale. "Help me get him up there!" I tell her, desperation filling my voice.

She quickly nodded and waved her cutlass around. The 3 of us fly back up to the top of the cliff. I take off running towards the Academy where there's an infirmary. I run up to the Infirmary entrance when Max comes out of the doors. "Here, let me help you get him on a bed." He said.

I re-positioned Sander so I could gently set him on one of the beds closest to us. The doctors immediately rush over, notice Sander's condition and quickly got to work on him, washing the wound and bandaging it so no more germs can get inside. On a bed at the other side of the rectangular Infirmary, Alec lay on the bed, eyes closed and twitching uncontrollably. Max walks out to join Penny back to their team dorm so the doctors can do their work undisturbed.

I, however, am staying at Sander's side while the doctors do their thing. No offense to them, but I have little trust in medical treatments after my dream about Darth Vader days ago and there's something about him that makes me feel different than with any other boy I've flirted with or dated. Not even with Red. What is happening to me right now? Suddenly, the doors bang open and the rest of my team along with Team JNPR come in. "We heard from Max and Penny that Sander is hurt. I need to know how he is." Weiss quickly explained.

Then she saw the doctors bandaging Sander's body, with quite a decent amount of blood on them. She covered her mouth in horror at the scene. The rest of the group also looked pretty sickened at the sight. Heck, even Blake looked shocked at the magnitude of the wound. "The doctors say he'll be OK." I tell them honestly. The doctors did say that at one point during their work.

Weiss looked relieved at hearing the news. "So, let's give the doctors some space and go back to our dorms." Ruby suggested. The others agreed and they all filed out of the Infirmary.

"Are you coming?" Blake asked, noticing that I'm not following them.

I shook my head and shake my head in Sander's direction. "Not until he wakes up." I tell her.

My partner nods, knowing that I can be as stubborn as people come, and also leaves. "All right, we've done everything we can with Mr. Blanco. Now all we can do is wait." The head doctor says and the entire crew leaves the wing.

I, however, just sit there, staring at the unconscious form of Sander. Thinking I should wait until later, I get up and make to leave when I notice Sander's golden blue eyes flutter open. I walk over to him and gently hug him. The tears came again. "Oh, Sander. I'm sorry. I honestly have no idea what came over me that night." I tell him.

He shushes me and pushes me away. I see his expression, a mixture of grief, regret and gratitude. "I forgive you, Yang. I should have figured out what was wrong much sooner. I suppose there are some things that I need to tell you as well. Especially since no one's listening in right now." He said.

I stare down at him, curiosity showing on my face. "Well, I used to be a part of an order of knights known as the Jedi. We were the guardians of peace and justice and wield the mystical energy field known simply as the Force. It penetrates us, guides, binds us and everything together. In a way, we are one." He explained.

I stare down at him in shock and confusion. So many questions float around my head, but I voiced the biggest question of them all. "You say this Force binds everything together? How come I've never heard of it before now?"

He smiles a sad smile and his eyes glaze over, most likely in memory. "That's because I'm not of Remnant or this galaxy. I'm from the next one over and my home planet is Coruscant, former capital of the Republic." He answers slowly, staring up at me.

Stunned silence. I should disbelieve him for making such a statement, I should slap him for trying to joke about being an alien while he's alone with me, but somehow I do find myself believe him. A voice seemed to speak in my mind, telling me that he speaks the truth.

"Does anyone else know this major secret?" I ask, curious about the answer.

Sander nods slowly. "Only Weiss. I kind of killed 5 White Fang members that tried to assassinate my friend while using the battle armor I kept after I fled the Jedi Temple. She demanded answers." He says.

I chuckle as I thought of what her expression must have been like when she heard about it. Then I remember my first dream and the amusement deflated considerably. "So, let me get this straight. You're a human from another galaxy who has the Aura and Semblance of Remnant, along with a power that I'll never truly understand." I summarize to make sure I have that straight.

Sander grinned in response, but winced from the pain. "You got that mostly right. You're last statement, however, is false. Yes I have the Force, but you have that power too. The Force has always guided you through your life. More so than most. Now I would like your help so we can both gain mastery of our powers and become beacons of hope for our fellow Hunters."

I stare at him, disbelieving. I didn't need to think on the proposal for a second. "Of course I'll help you." I tell him. After all, I need to learn how to control the potential I have so I don't lose my mind and hurt anyone close to me again.

 _"Fear not, young Padawans. I shall train you both so you will never fall to the Dark Side."_ A voice rang out around the room. It's the same one that spoke to me days ago!

We both looked around trying to find the source of the mystery voice, but no one there. "Who are you?" Sander asked hesitantly.

 _"My name is Qui-Gon-Gin and soon I will continue your training. Before I go, I must tell you something. A mission will soon come to light. Acquire the items that call out to you during that mission. Only then will you be ready to take your training as Jedi to the next stage."_ Qui-Gon said.

Sander looked so confused and shocked. "Gui-Gon-Gin? But you've been dead for nearly 2 decades. How are you here?" he asked.

 _"I am strong with the Force. So strong, in fact, that when I died, it took me years but I attained a feat many Sith strive for but fail. I achieved immortality. I have come back to teach my apprentice, Obi-Wan Kenobi this trick. He has succeeded with flying colors. Now, it's the Force's will for you both to achieve your destinies. I shall speak to you later."_ With that, Qui-Gon-Gin said no more.

"Well, then. Let's be ready for whatever awaits us later." I say to try and lighten the mood up.

Sander smiles at my optimism. "All right. I need to get some rest. I'll talk to you later." He said and closed his eyes again.

Seeing no more reason to stick around, I get up and head back to my dorm so I can truly unwind before classes and homework resume. I would rather get punched by an Ursa.


	10. Chapter 9: The White Fang - Part 1

**Sander Blanco's POV:**

After much time lying on my ass recovering from my nasty wound, luck finally took my side for once.

Thanks to my Aura and a little help from the living Force, I have completely healed the monster gash I received from my duel with Anakin. All that remains of the wound is a wicked-looking scar that is almost comparable to one a hardened bandit would have. A couple of hours later, I got the confirmation to leave the painfully white room and make my way back to my companions and friends. Even Alec has recovered from his head trauma and is joining us in our normal activities.

Me and Yang are much friendlier with each other and now the 12 of us are becoming closer friends. The next couple months pass without event, aside from a trip to Forever Fall, where Jaune actually kills a Ursa Major single handedly. Now that was a surprising and proud moment for all of us.

Now, it's Saturday again and my team and team RWBY are spending it at Vale. The entire city is being set up for the upcoming Vytal Festival, a carnival/fighting tournament that sounds really cool. Weiss is so excited about it, she openly expresses it. As much as I respect my first friend on this world, I can't help but be a little weirded out. I can tell just by looking at my friend's faces that they're also surprised to see this new side of Weiss.

Her little happy moment is burst when we notice a dust shop with destroyed windows and 2 police officers walking around, holding clipboards. We all run to the shop. "What happened here, officer?" I ask the man on the right.

"Some bandits broke in here last night, took every ounce of dust from the shop, but left the lien behind again. We suspect the White Fang are behind it." The officer said, then went inside to advance his investigation.

Weiss huffed at the mention of the White Fang and is about to say something degrading about them when Alec of all people beat her to the punch. "The White Fang, huh? Should have known those scumbags would have something to do with this." His voice is tight and holds a lot of anger.

We all stared at my teammate, shocked by his choice of words. Blake is also shocked, but thanks to delving deeply into her emotions with the Force, I can also sense fear. "What's your problem with them?" she asked hesitantly.

Alec whirled on her and I noticed his brown eyes darken with hatred. "What's my problem? The whole lot of the White Fang are misguided freaks who don't deserve to live." He growled out. His eyes seemed to have darkened even more.

That response startled even Weiss. I could sense the nervousness and fear growing within Blake, although she's doing an excellent job at hiding it. "Now that I got my opinion about them out, I'm going to see if I can restock my ammo at the gun shop and visit the game shop afterwards. Later." He said, then took off to where the weapons shop. I stare at the boy's retreating back, curiosity growing within me.

"Geez, what's up with him?" Yang asked, looking at the rest of team SPAM.

"You got me there." I said, concern a little suspicion in my voice. Max also looks lost for words, surprised at Alec's sudden outburst. Penny, however, has a completely different answer.

"He had a pretty nasty run-in with the White Fang many years ago. Now he hates the whole lot with a passion." She said somewhat stiffly. When she spoke in that tone, it means that the subject needs to be dropped. Or else.

We're all broken from our thoughts on what Penny said when we hear a lot of shouting over at one of the ships that had just come in at the docks. We notice a couple of sailors chasing a blonde monkey faunus that seriously needs to learn how to wear a shirt. He's jumping around like an acrobat and runs right past us. Is it just me or did he actually wink at Blake as he passed us?

But in that same moment, I delved into the well of his mind thanks to the Force, sensing his personality. He's actually a really nice guy who doesn't have any association with the White Fang. On the contrary, he agrees with Alec on the fact that the White Fang are composed of freaks. We chase after the faunus, who I also learned his name to be Sun Wukong. Within minutes, we lose him. "Darn it! He got away!" Weiss shouts.

Knowing we have stuff here to do here, the 7 of us go our separate ways and visit the city for the day. When the day's just about ended, we all meet up at one of the docking bays where the Bullhead took us back to Beacon. We fly back to the Academy and make our way to our dorms, where we hit the sack and get some rest after an interesting day.

The next morning, team RWBY is returning to Vale to track down Blake. Apparently, the team had a major fight last night which resulted in Blake accidentally revealing herself as not only a Faunus, but also a former member of the White Fang.

Before we leave, I jump onto the roof to sit in silence, staring out at the scenery while also trying to put the pieces together, even if I consider doing puzzles too time-consuming. I could meditate, but really, it's worthless to spend hours wading through the Force, only to find visions that more often than not trick a Force-user into trying to prevent what they saw from happening. After silently pondering this revelation for a few minutes, I formulate a solid guess on what's going on. Blake was part of the White Fang when it was a peaceful organization, around the time I got here to Remnant. But when they transitioned to killing people to get their way, the Schnee family being the top of the most wanted dead list, Blake no longer wanted anything to do with them and left. "I thought I'd find you up here for your usual mysterious reasons." Yang's voice filled my ears and my head swerves to the left.

Sure enough, Yang is standing there in her typical attire. Although this time, she has a very worried look on her face. "I see this has become our spot. No, I was trying to play detective, not that I ever had any interest in being one. I can tell that Blake is not with the White Fang. I'm starting to believe that she still isn't happy with the way things are right now, and for good reason, but she truly deserted the Faunus group after they took their turn for the worst." I answer.

Yang looks a little relieved to hear that, but the worry still lingers in her eyes. "Come on. Let's go find Blake!" she said. She pulls me to my feet and we make our way back to the ship for another tour of Vale.

Only Alec isn't coming this time. The poor guy has come down with terrible headaches again, so he's been sent back. The second we land on the ground, we go our separate ways so we can cover more ground in our search. We agree to contact everyone else in our party when one of us finds Blake and calms her down. Weiss is coming as well so she can apologize to Blake when Weiss realized how deeply she hurt her teammate.

The day came and went with no signs of the wayward faunus girl. I buy myself a nicely sized, delicious meatball sandwich when lunchtime comes around as my big break session, watching real Vale detectives as they continue their search for Sun. They're probably still mad over Sun's use of a banana peel. I'll be honest; that moment was funny. Just as it hit 3 in the afternoon, the Force beckons to me to go to a nearby Dust storage warehouse.

Curiosity wins out and I go to the storage place. It's deserted right now, but I still remember the Dust robberies that have occurred recently, the largest string in recorded history. Now that's quite an achievement right there. So, if the Force wants me here, then something major is definitely going to go down.

Something that will need me to go all out.

I whip out my scroll and push some buttons. My locker crashes to the ground in front of me. I open it up and start putting on my battle armor. After a minute, I stand back up, wobbling a little. I'm used to having free movement all the time, so even after I got my armor a major upgrade in a 10-year span and it fits my size properly, time to adjust to it is still required. I get my dark gold sword, turn it into my shotgun and lightsaber and put them in special compartments I made for the weapons on my back, hidden by my cloak. I pulled the brown hood up on my cloak, put my scroll on a clip at my side and after sending my locker back to Beacon, hide behind a crate, turning on the sniper rifle-quality scopes in my helmet, and wait patiently.

Just as the sun finishes setting on the bay and reach the point where my patience is about to run out, I start considering playing Immortal Warfare to pass the remaining time. That's when the thrumming sounds of a ship's engines can be heard. Turning my attention to that point, I zoom in closer to see who the incoming guests are.

A large Bullhead is coming in hot, right at this very warehouse. Bring on any challenge they got, because I will deliver that and more.

* * *

 _AN:_ The plot thickens!

I shall see you all next time when key elements will be revealed!

See you all next time!


	11. Chapter 10: The White Fang - Part 2

**Blake Belladonna's POV:**

I can't believe what I'm seeing.

Me, my team leader Ruby, the blonde monkey faunus from yesterday whose name is Sun, and Penny, a friend of Ruby's, are watching a Bullhead touch down on the roof of a Schnee dust storage facility. The hatch opens up and several White Fang soldiers come out. Then HE came out after everyone else.

Roman Torchwick.

My eyes widen when I see that smug-faced, orange-haired man in the flesh, looking around at the large crates of dust with a greedy look obvious in his dark eyes. Why in the name of Monty Oum is the White Fang working with Roman Torchwick? This goes against all of the White Fang's goals!

I need answers right now. Despite silent protests from my companions, I get the jump on the unsuspecting enemies and grab Roman from behind. The White Fang soldiers, startled by my sudden appearance, draw their weapons and point them at me.

"White Fang, why are you working with this scum? What can he possibly offer you?" I ask the faunus. They all look at each other, but their emotions are covered by their masks. Roman, however, openly laughed at my questions.

"I offer them freedom from humanity. That's why this isn't just some minor job. We have backup." Roman said. From out of nowhere, 3 more Bullheads appear. They all sported the White Fang's symbol on the side.

Taking advantage of my shock, Torchwick threw off my hold on him and began attacking me, the faunus around me joining in. In retaliation, my friends also jump out of their hiding places and join the battle.

The fight that results doesn't tip to either side's favor until an obnoxiously loud blast goes off. Thanks to my faunus senses, I watch as a barrage of miniature Dust bullets fly towards the White Fang member I'm fighting against and hit him dead on. The soldier flew in the air briefly before crashing to the ground, face first. His back armor is riddled with holes where the bullets made contact. Judging by his stillness and the blood sitting in the wounds, the White Fang soldier is dead.

The fighting stopped as everyone turned to the direction where the powerful gunshot came from. What I see is someone standing there in the strangest armor I've ever seen. It has several resemblances to old medieval armor and is mostly red along with blue stripes on the plated arms. Three black curved slash marks go down from above the blue helmet's black eyes to its mouth. I can't help but think of war markings when I see them. A long brown cloak billowed around him and his outstretched right hand holds a large double-barrel shotgun, smoking billowing out of the barrels

"You picked the wrong town to rob, pal." He says calmly. Despite the voice being disoriented by the apparatus, he sounds vaguely familiar.

He definitely caught everyone's attention now. Even the Faunus who are hooking the dust crates to the bullheads stopped what they're doing.

"So what? We should just leave?" Torchwick asks arrogantly. The man turns his shotgun and points it at Roman's chest.

"Get them!" a very familiar voice shouts. From out of nowhere, Yang, Weiss, Penny Goodwitch and Max all jump out and start their own onslaught against the White Fang. What really worries me is that Sander isn't anywhere to be found. The armored man seems just as surprised as me, but joins in on the attack. Slowly but surely, Roman and the White Fang are getting pushed back. However, that's when it happened.

A loud scream rang out from behind the enemies along with something that sounds suspiciously like a chainsaw slicing through something wet. "Now what?" Roman asked, annoyed, and turned around to see the source of the commotion. His skin paled and he looked terrified. Curious, I look in the same direction as Roman. What I see makes my eyes also widen in horror.

On the ground in front of one of the dust crates, all of the White Fang members had been dumped unceremoniously. Their bodies are mutilated beyond recognition. One person stood tall, holding a cane with bloodied chainsaw blades around it in his right hand and staring down at us.

The human boy looks to be in his late teens with very pale skin, short bloody blonde hair and piercing black eyes. His posture and wicked grin particularly creep me out. Once again, my instincts tell me that I should know him, but nothing comes to mind right away. "Die, Faunus scum!" he roared and jumped down.

One of the White Fang soldiers tried to fight against this newcomer, but his weapon flew out of his hands within seconds and he ended up getting his head severed off. Even the armored man kept a safe distance from the sadistic teen. He turned his attention to the remaining White Fang soldiers and Roman.

"We're outnumbered! Let's get out of here!" one of the soldiers said, making a mad dash for the parked Bullhead. Not that I blame him at all.

Torchwick growled in anger, but nodded in agreement. "You're right. For now, you meddlesome bunch, goodbye." He ran on board the Bullhead which closed behind him. The Bullhead took off and flew away as fast as possible. The other Bullheads followed suite. Unfortunately for the White Fang, they didn't get away with a single dust crate. The one ship that had a dust crate connected by a thick wire is severed by one of Penny's blaster swords that are pretty unique.

When the White Fang vanished into the night, the mysterious newcomer wheeled on Sun and me. He revved his unorthodox weapon to life. "Now you're next." He said darkly. He took a step to us, but Penny Goodwitch got between us.

"Oh, no you don't. You're not hurting anyone else tonight." she said, sounding a little nervous.

The mysterious person growled in anger and ran at her. Penny then took off running as fast as she can, closely pursued by the mystery man. We all stare at the spot, dumbstruck.

"Well, that was…something different." Yang said, looking a little disturbed. Suddenly, police sirens rang out from everywhere. Speaking of everywhere, I just noticed that the red-armored man is missing.

Police cars came into view and officers came out and ran over to talk to us.

As they run to us, I realize that this is going to be a VERY long night.

* * *

 _AN:_ So happened the battle where the leader is revealed.

As for the mystery guy who cut down the White Fang, he will be explained next time. All I will say is that he's hated by the White Fang.

Later!


	12. Chapter 11: The Unexpected Mission

**Sander Blanco's POV:**

Tonight, I have a strong suspicion that quite a lot of explaining will be done and questions will be asked tonight.

These thoughts are flying through my head as I walk up to Headmaster Ozpin's office. At my side is the rest of my team, along with teams RWBY and JNPR. Alec just got out of the Hospital a few minutes ago. He looks pale, but no one asked questions at the moment. It didn't take us long at all to arrive at the Headmaster's office. "Thank you all for coming at such quick notice. Please. Have a seat." Ozpin said, putting his hands on his desk. Glynda stood at his side with a concerned look on her face.

We all look at each other nervously before complying. "Now, I just would like to talk about what's happened tonight." He continued, pulling up a screen of our fight with the White Fang not long ago. It even showed my entrance into the fight along with the deaths that insane teen caused. Whoever he is, he's definitely not someone to cross.

"Now, I would like to ask you something. That man in the odd armor that is a fusion of past and present. What would any of you happen to know about him?" he asked. What he said bugged me immensely. But I know that something needs to be said about the armor. I look over at Weiss. She seems understand what I'm thinking and nods encouragingly.

I give a sigh. "Well, that armor…is mine. I got it off a soldier who died years ago and I modified it after claiming it for myself." I tell the room.

Everyone stared at me, absolutely stunned. Even Yang looked surprised at that news. "But I must ask you something, Headmaster: Why are you concerned about me and not the psychopath that was also there earlier tonight?" I ask, curiosity getting the better of me.

Ozpin, Glynda, Penny and Alec all glance at each other. For some reason, they look…there's no other way to describe it, nervous.

"Don't worry too much. I'll make sure that the monster won't return for a long time." Alec said.

"What makes you so sure? Do you have contact with that heartless killer?" Blake demanded. She still seems rattled at the gruesome way those White Fang soldiers were killed.

Alec lowered his head, smothering his face in shadows. "I suppose I owe it to you all to come clean. I have the worst kind of split personality disorder. My other half has been more active than ever after that mental attack from the black-armored man we met a while ago. He came into existence when I was 7. Two Faunus bandits had broken into our house and killed my parents. My dad was a master alchemist who had many potent potions. In a desperate effort to get rid of the vagabonds, I drank one of them, but instead of getting a strength boost like I hoped, my dark half was born and slaughtered the faunus. I named him Harrison Hydlide. Anyway, after a week, these 3 saved me from a Beowulf and I have been helping them out with anything ever since." He summarized.

Internally, I wince. I feel sympathy for him as he has inner conflict as well and I understand how dangerous it can get. Everyone else in the room, however, looked utterly horrified about what they heard.

"Wait. You're alter ego is THE Harrison Hydlide? The most wanted dead by the White Fang, even before they turned evil, because whenever he's seen, a faunus dies?" Blake asked softly, looking like she has just seen a ghost. Alec nods, looking very depressed.

"So…that's why you don't use your semblance?" Ruby asked hesitantly.

Alec sighed. "Oh, it's not good at all. My semblance allows me to control the bodies of the deceased. I haven't used that power in many years, thank goodness." He said.

Now I truly felt bad for the guy, having a semblance that would most definitely be seen as unnatural. I put a hand on his right shoulder. "Don't worry, Alec. We're still your friends. Besides, I have my own inner conflicts so I understand what you're going through." I tell my teammate. He seems mystified by my last statement, but didn't ask. The rest of our group also voiced their agreement.

"Thanks, guys." Alec said, smiling. He already looks a little better.

"I'm glad that you are all getting to know each other better. However, before I dismiss you all for the night, I have one last thing I would like to ask you all: Would you like to take on an early mission?"

I blink in surprise at the unexpected question. But when I look at my companions' faces, I know what the answer is.

"We'll take it." I tell him.

"Good. It will take place next Saturday. Now, for the details. About 6 hours ago, the Schnee Dust Company found a potential spot to make a new dust mine in the nearby mountain range. However, instead of a possible mine, they found an ancient ship. We know because the defenders of the ship are robots of a kind unseen before." Ozpin said.

The video on his scroll changed to an entirely different scene. A band of Schnee guards and miners are trying to fight off an army of machines I hoped to never see again.

"Separatist battle droids." I mutter under my breath, my skin paling a little. I noticed how they seem to fight almost naturally. I really got me curious.

"What did you say?" Glynda said, interested in how I know what we will be up against.

"Battle droids. Machines specifically built for warfare. I fought and demolished a couple in a war I fought in, called the Clone Wars." I knew instantly the last thing I said was the wrong thing to say.

"The Clone Wars. I never heard of these wars before. Care to elaborate? I mean, the more we know on these enemy machines, the better." Ozpin said.

I know that I need to say something about them. "The Clone Wars. A large-scale war between Republic and Separatist factions. The Republic used clone soldiers while the Separatists used battle droids like what you have seen. A lot of friends and my old mentor died in the fight. I'd rather not talk about it right now." I tell them. Everyone looked flabbergasted that such a war took place. Yang and Weiss, though, understand what I just said.

"Well, we can talk more on the matter later. You seem to have a lot of experience with them. I am making you the leader of the assault on the place. The Schnee Company asked you to blow it up so they can continue their jobs undisturbed. You are all dismissed." Ozpin said.

When he said 'dismissed' we got up and left his office, giving us time to think about the mission we got ourselves into. We all went into our various dormitories and laid down and went to sleep. That is, the rest of my team are asleep. I lay awake in bed, dreading the nightmares that await me.

Getting restless, I get out of bed and open the window. Closing it behind me, I jump onto the roof and just sit there, staring up at the broken moon.

"I thought I'd find you up here. Bad dreams?" a very familiar voice said.

I looked to my right to see Yang looking at me, concerned. She sat down next to me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

"Not exactly. I don't want to deal with the memories of the Clone Wars again, Yang. Those were dark days." I tell her, then add, "But I might as well tell you."

So I do. For what felt like hours, I tell Yang about the Clone Wars and the war stories that are the result, such as a super soldier who appeared closer to the end of the wars, how he was able to use his technology to kill 5 fully trained ARC troopers. Now that was a scary day.

The entire time I told the war stories from years ago, Yang sat there silently, staring at me with wide eyes. When I finish, Yang remained silent, but stared at me with a whole new light. "Wow, Sander. I guessed that you had it tough as a Jedi, but that's…not at all what I was expecting. I promise to have your back for whatever we face next weekend and afterwards." Yang said, before pulling me into a hug.

I am momentarily surprised by Yang's actions, but I happily return the gesture.

Somehow, the feeling of just the 2 of us together made me very happy on the inside.

* * *

 _AN:_ I was planning on Sander revealing his identity now, but decided that will happen a little later.

As for the crashed Separatist ship, I have several plans for how that's going to go down.

Next time, Alec shows off his personal vehicle. I am looking forward to writing about it.

Thank you for the support you have given me, and please fave, follow or tell me your thoughts.

See you all next time!


	13. Chapter 12: The Action-Packed Week

**Sander Blanco's POV:**

* * *

The week that comes is a week I will never forget.

The next morning, Ruby announces that the second semester has finally begun. To celebrate this day, she has a ridiculously large book full of activities that she wants to do. Weiss is absolutely dismayed about that, especially since it belonged to her, while Yang cracks her usual puns that I laugh at and Blake just keeps on reading her book.

That's when things get crazy. Yang and Nora keep throwing food at each, which escalates to the point where the orange-haired girl literally throws a pie and accidentally hits Weiss's face. The result is a food fight of tremendous magnitude. It is so fun and destructive that the rest of the student body runs for their very lives while we have the time of our lives. Hey, just because I'm training to be a Jedi doesn't mean I must be a stiff lunatic. That, with my sarcastic attitude and questioning of many of their dumber ideas got me labelled a rebel.

Team JNPR creates a make-shift castle out of tables and defend it, with Penny and Alec supporting them. Me and Max, on the other hand, are helping team RWBY attack the make-shift fortress. The amazing fight lasts for a long time. By the time we finish, I am covered head to toe with watermelon slices, grape soda and ketchup. Quite an interesting combination. We all laugh about it until Glynda stormed in and put everything back in its place. "Children, please. Do not play with your food." She said, an annoyed expression on her face. She looked particularly disappointed in Penny and me. Nora belches loudly in response and Yang who was launched out of the academy comes crashing down to the ground, smashing a table in the process. I help her up and we all burst into fits of laughter again.

Before Glynda could shout at us, Ozpin came in and said something to Glynda I couldn't hear before the two walk away.

Aside from that, the classes are the same as ever and it carried over to the next day. The next night, however, is rather entertaining. After the last class ended, team RWBY ran out the door of Professor Port's class faster than usual. Something's up and it has nothing to do with Jaune trying to hit on Weiss. I use the Force to brush their minds and I get confirmation that something is indeed going on. We all head back to our dormitories and go to our respective rooms. "So...anyone else think that our neighbors are up to something?" Max suggests once we enter our dorm.

"Oh, yeah. So...what do you say we spy on them and get our answer?" I suggest and start climbing out the window. As silently and using surprising balance I never knew I had, crawl towards team RWBY's room. Making sure I am hanging onto the wall for dear life, I peak in through the window.

Judging by the fact that they're just finishing getting into entirely new outfits, they're probably going to leave the Academy. I must say, Yang really is rocking her new look. They went over their plans for the night. Turns out, they're going to go undercover in Vale tonight to figure out exactly what's going on between Roman and the White Fang. "Sign me up for your crazy schemes that will no doubt get you in trouble if you are caught." I tell team RWBY sarcastically after they're finished saying their parts. The entire team jumped away from the window and stare at me in shock.

"Sander?" Yang asked, startled. "What are you doing here?"

"That's rather simple. You ran out of class faster than usual, so I guessed you 4 are up to something since you've never run from Port's class or Jaune trying to win the worst ladies man ever award before the way you did. Turns out I was right. Also, me and my team are eager to come along." I tell them, grinning. The rest of my team also poked their heads into the window and waved at the all-girl team.

"Alright, fine. Get ready and meet us here in 5 minutes." Weiss said, looking concerned for me. She, too, knows about my fear of heights. I turn to the side, and after trying hard not to look down, I lead my team back to our dorm and also decide to get into whole new outfits as well. I have on a light blue shirt under a black vest, dark blue jeans and a blue baseball cap. Max has a black tank top with black pants and military boots. Alec got into a dark grey dress shirt with grey shorts and a dark cowboy hat. Penny, however, has on a long-sleeve green shirt and puffy green pants and she tied her long hair back into a ponytail that's held up by a light blue headband.

Once we are all set, we crawl out our window again and head back to team RWBY's dorm. When we make it back, we see something I certainly didn't expect. Team RWBY is ready to go, but I see the exchange students, Sun and Neptune, there as well.

"What are you guys doing here?" I ask the 2 as I step into team RWBY's dorm, followed by my teammates.

"They volunteered to come along as well." Blake explained quickly. I quickly enter their minds thanks to the Force and learn that they really do want to help. I relax slightly.

"OK. So what will we be doing tonight?" Alec asked.

"We'll split into groups of no more than 3. Yang will be going with Sander to the bar she knows well. Blake and Sun will figure out what the White Fang is up to. I will go with Weiss and Neptune to the CCT to learn about strange activity in the Schnee Dust Company. As for Penny, Max and Alec, I don't know where you 3 will go." Ruby said. I smile at the fact that Ruby is a natural leader.

"We'll head to the docks. I know of some people who might be able to help with the situation." Penny said. She didn't look too happy about what she said for some reason.

"Well, then. Let's not waste another minute. Let's hit it." Yang said. We head out the door and head to the docks so we can head back to Vale. Along the way, we saw another exchange team making their way to us. The guy on the left has grey hair, a grey vest and grey pants. The girl on the right has short green locks, dark skin and bright red eyes. Their leader is a girl in a black uniform with pale skin, long black hair in a side braid and bright yellow eyes that seem to glow. The eyes look so similar to a young girl's eyes I saw in the days of the Clone Wars. The daughter of a powerful Sith leader the Republic fought against.

I shiver as I try to not remember him or the things he's done that made him taboo even amongst the Jedi and the Seperatists. "Hi Cinder." Ruby said to the girl.

"Nice to see you again, Ruby. I have to ask, though. Where are you all going?" she asked, looking interested.

"To Vale. We forgot to get some school supplies and we want to pick it up before class tomorrow." I quickly tell them.

The girl stared at me with interest. "Well then, have a nice time in Vale. Hey, I'm sorry to say I never caught your name before. What was it?" She said, looking at me curiously.

All my instincts told me not to let her close at all, but I suppose it can't hurt to tell her my name. So reluctantly, I answer. "Sander Blanco."

"Well, Sander, I'll be seeing you soon." She says and the 3 walk off back to the school. I glance at her back before we continue on our way again, before separating. The rest of our group will be taking an airship to go to Vale while me and Yang are heading off to the Academy Garage.

"So, what are we doing here?" I ask, before Yang steers us towards a yellow motorcycle. I can't help but be impressed by it, since I've never seen a motorcycle like it. Just have it my colors and I would take one.

"You like Bumblebee, my motorcycle? It's custom. Hop on." She said, getting into the driver's seat and putting on a helmet and her aviator glasses. I get on behind her and also put on a helmet. Once we're settled and hold on to Yang's hips to my somewhat embarrassment, Yang takes off and starts driving at reckless speeds. After several minutes of driving, we reach the main highway. "So, Sander. I want to ask you about what was up between you and that girl, Cinder. Do you know her? I mean, I could sense…familiarity in you?" she asked hesitantly.

"Yes, I think. She reminds of the daughter of a Sith lord I met over a decade ago. I'd…rather not talk about him." I tell Yang honestly. I look down at my left arm where a long scar that stretches from the right side to the left side is. That scar is a reminder of the Sith lord and his war machine, Tiel.

I get the feeling she wants to ask about him, but she heard my tone and the question died. "Just tell me about this Sith later." She said.

I nod, a little reluctantly. After a little bit longer of driving, we come to the shady side of Vale, before coming to a complete stop. Yang and I take our helmets off, after which Yang shakes her hair out. "Well, here we are. My friend's inside." Yang said. We are currently in front of a large bar, with guards outside. Once the guards take notice of us, however, they start backing up in fear and run inside, slamming the doors shut. I can't help but raise an eyebrow at what Yang did to warrant such fear of her, but we get off the bike and walk towards the doors anyway. We look at each other once we reach the entrance, but I do a brief bit of courtesy step aside and Yang punches the doors apart, sending the people holding it in place flying in different directions. With that done, me and Yang walk inside.

Inside is a large bar with a huge dance floor, a disco ball hanging overhead, a DJ at work, 2 girls just standing around and a single, burly man sitting at the stool of a bar. "Guess who's back." Yang calls out to the bar, getting herself into a self-presenting pose.

Within a second, the guards surround us and point their weapons at our faces. I look at Yang, who is deadpanning their bluntness. "Damn, this is a cold welcome. So do I really want to know how you make friends like these?" I state, my voice also deadpanning.

She cracks a small smile at my comment. "Junior, we just want to talk." She calls to the man at the bar, who is now looking up at us.

The man, Junior, puts on a thoughtful expression for a few seconds. Subtly, I use the Force to push Junior's thoughts to the best situation possible. "All right. Come over here. The second you try and attack me or my club again, though, you and your friend will regret it." He says finally.

The guards, the 2 girls glaring at Yang with hate beforehand and even Yang herself look a little surprised at the response, but luckily she doesn't argue. The 2 of us join Junior at the bar. "I'll take a strawberry sunrise, please. No ice and one of those cute little umbrellas." Yang says to the bartender.

"I'll take a mojito. The whole deal and shaken, not stirred, please." I add. The man nods and gets to work.

"So, what do you 2 want to know? Blondie, before you ask, no, I still know nothing about the woman you were looking for the last time you were here." Junior states, looking at us warily. OK, things definitely got tense with that one statement.

"No, I'm not going to ask about her. What we want to know is what the White Fang are up to. Do you know anything about what they're up to?" I ask the man.

He stares at me blankly. "I don't know anything about them or their plans." He said flatly.

"Excuse me? You have the reputation of knowing everything going on in Vale, or is that just crap?" Yang demands, her eyes turning dark red.

She looks ready to punch him, but I put a hand on her shoulder. She looks at me and I whisper in her ear so quietly that Junior can't hear. "Don't get yourself in unnecessary trouble since this place is watching you. Use the Force, Yang. Will his mind to yield what we want to know."

Yang nodded. We look at Junior again and I subtly assist Yang in her mind trick. "You will tell us what we want to know." She said, forcefully.

Junior's mind stood no chance as I felt the Force pierce his mind. "You want to know about the White Fang? That crowd and Roman Torchwick are gearing up for something big. They've been stealing Dust from the Schnee Dust Company for a while now. Their newest prize is all 3 of the new Atlesian Paladin prototypes. As for what they plan to do, I don't know. I just send them my men so they can help with the grunt work." He said in a monotone.

Me and Yang look at each other. Junior has nothing else to say. "Thanks for the info. Have a nice night." I tell him. I get out my black leather wallet and slap some lien on the bar table for me and Yang's drinks and we leave with the glass cups, putting my wallet back into my pocket. The mojito I bought is quite delicious.

"Well, we did get some information out of the guy." Yang says. Then turned to me. "Hey, Sander. When I used…whatever it's called on Junior, I felt something. It felt like pure energy surrounded me, bending to my will."

I give her a large smile. "What you did is called Force Manipulation, or a Jedi Mind Trick. If you have a strong enough will, it rarely fails. As for the sensation, that's good. You've just taken your first step into a larger world." I tell her, then add, "Also, I am glad to be out of there. I hate clubs."

Yang smiled at my compliment, but frowns in confusion at my comment. "Why? They're lots of fun."

I shake my head lightly and respond, "No, they're not. They are loud and obnoxious. I hate them especially because my most humiliating moment happened there years ago." I answer. But before she can grill me on what I'm talking about, a notification dinged on our scrolls. We pull out our scrolls and see the email that came in. What I read left me shocked. "An Atlesian Paladin is on the loose, piloted by Roman himself. We need to intercept the thing before innocent people get hurt." I tell Yang.

"Agreed. Let's hit it!" she says in agreement. I look down at my now-empty glass, wondering what I should do with it. Yang just throws the glass at the ground in front of the club. Shrugging, I smash it on the ground as well and we get back on the motorcycle and ride to the highway in an attempt to intercept Torchwick. Not 5 minutes later, we saw the thing speeding down the overpass in front of us. Ruby, Blake and Sun are already trying to stop the Paladin from crushing civilians underfoot. I look down to the ground and notice that it's completely empty.

"Let's fight on the ground below!" I tell my friends via text on each of their scrolls. Which is easier said than done at Yang's speeds, which are only making me want a motorcycle like it.

They all nod in agreement when they see the empty field below. We fly down the overpass, break the fall by landing on the overpass below, then land on the ground. Not 3 seconds later, the Paladin crashed into the ground, sending shards of concrete into the air. "Mind if we join the fight?" Weiss's voice called out. We turn around and see Weiss and Neptune standing there, weapons out.

I look around once more, noticing several people missing. "Where's the others?" Yang asks Weiss.

"They said they had to pick something up and that they'll be here soon." Weiss said.

I nod, hoping they'll get here in time. We charge at the Paladin and give it all we have. To keep my secret intact, I didn't bring my lightsaber. At a fast pace, Torchwick grabbed Yang and punched her through a concrete pillar.

"Yang!" I call to her, running to her side. I help her get back to her feet.

"Sander, I have a plan. You weaken the thing and I'll take the attacks. My semblance is energy absorption. I can destroy the thing in one go with enough power. I need you to give me your fire to help, though." Yang said.

I nod in understanding and send her a wave of bright red fire. To my amazement, she absorbed the fire and stood up. I return to the battle and shoot wave after wave of fire at Roman.

That's when I heard it.

It started with a loud hissing sound. We all look to our left to see what's going on, only to see a huge cloud of multi-colored smoke. Then a loud train horn blew behind it. "What in the world is that?" Weiss asked, confused.

Before I could say anything in response, the most intimidating car I've ever seen in my life drives out. It looks like a car fused with a tank. The entire vehicle is sleek black with a large tub sticking up in the middle, with a skull and crossbones on the front and back. A large black fin is on the top of the tub, topped off with a statue of a Bourbatusk's head fused onto the front of the hood and the grate looks like the face of a sea dragon about to eat. On the sides of the tube are written the words 'Death Mobile.' I stared at the automobile, taken completely by surprise.

The car drove at a really fast speed and crashed into the Paladin's legs. Once again, I am stunned to see that the Paladin is actually swept off its feet and lands on its back. Using the pause in the enemy's attack, Yang beats us to the punch and smashes it with a single attack.

It explodes, throwing us back about several feet. Torchwick stands up, looking scorched from the flames and very angry. "Damn it, I just got this thing fixed. Well, it was nice fighting you all, even you Ice Queen, but I have to get going now." From out of nowhere, a girl with her hair 2 different colors grabs Roman and they dissipate to nothing.

We all just stare at the spot the infamous criminal disappeared from. "Well, looks like our plans just _washed away_." Weiss said.

We all just stare at her blankly, crickets chirping in the background. My adrenaline left me, making me realize how tired I am. "Well, let's get back. We can talk more about what we found out about later." Blake said, also giving a huge yawn. Then looks at the car. "I want to know who's in there."

"People of Remnant, we come in peace." A familiar voice said. All at once, Penny, Alec and Max stepped out of the 4-door car. That wasn't funny in the slightest, evidenced by my slightly frustrated expression no one noticed.

We all stare at the thing, flabbergasted. "Who's car is that?" Yang asked.

"It's mine." Alec said, raising a hand. He looks very proud of his vehicle.

"But let's do get back soon. I'm tired and we shouldn't be up this late anyways." Penny said, yawning tremendously. That was the last straw before we all started making our way back to school. For them, airship, but for me and Yang, on a high-speed ride.

After a surprisingly quick hour, we are all back at our dorms and snoozing like nothing had happened.

For the next few days, we trained harder than ever. Then Saturday came again, and with it, the mission.

* * *

 _AN:_ Sweet! This chapter came out longer than I anticipated.

I hope you like Alec's car. Yes, I am a huge fan of Animal House and added a little Jimmy Buffet theme to it as well. Jimmy Buffet is awesome!

As for the Sith lord, he is NOT an OC. He will be mentioned later on and will be the main character in a prequel story. Tiel will have a part in the future as well.

Anyway, thanks for all the support you have given me and hopefully I continue to do the best I can.

See you all next time!


	14. Chapter 13: The Mission - Part 1

**Yang Xiao Long's POV:**

I woke up this Saturday morning, a mixture of excitement and anxiety filling my stomach.

I have heard many stories about the destruction these battle droids have caused, but since I have been training harder than ever to be prepared for whatever they have in store for us, I'm not as nervous as before.

"Good morning, team RWBY!" Ruby shouted to us. My fellow teammates also sat up and glare a little at Ruby's loud voice.

"All right. I'm getting up." Weiss said and got up. Blake followed Weiss's lead. Once we are all up, we get showered, get on our normal attire and head to the locker rooms to get our weapons loaded and ready for the day to come.

Even though none of my teammates admit it, I can sense that they are just as anxious as me about this mission. Once we finish, we leave the rooms and head to the docking bays. Along the way there, we meet up with team SPAM and we exchange greetings before we go off together. I yawn a little, since I didn't exactly get the best sleep last night.

Finally, we see the Bullhead waiting for us at the loading bay, it's ramp open. In front of the ramp stood Ozpin and Glynda. Surprisingly, team JNPR is standing with them. "Hi, Ozpin. I didn't expect to see you here. Nor did I expect to see you guys here as well." Sander said.

Jaune grinned. "What, you think we're going to let our friends just waltz in enemy territory without us?" he said. His teammates nod in agreement, also grinning.

"I just wanted to personally thank you all for taking this mission. It will be extremely dangerous, but I do wish you all good luck. On board the Bullhead behind me is a set of small, but extremely powerful explosives. Put it in a pressure sensitive area to blow the ship up so the Schnee Company can get back to doing their job without fear." Ozpin said.

"See you later, Ozpin!" Ruby said and she ran onboard the fairly small Bullhead. Sighing a little in exasperation, we follow suite. Once we are all onboard and seated, the hatch closes up and we take off from the landing strip.

My instincts tell me that this mission will be life changing.

"I'll be honest. I wish we brought the Death Mobile with us. Riding in that thing was awesome." Max said.

I smile at his enthusiasm, but cringe a little when I saw that car, whatever it was, barreling towards us, blaring its loud horns. But I agree, it looked really awesome!

Anyway, once all of our weapons are set aside and we're ready to go, the exhaustion hits me again. "Hey, guys. I'm going to get some shut eye before our job begins." I tell them, then lean sideways on the seat I'm sitting on and fall asleep.

Surprisingly, there were no strange dreams at all.

After what felt like a few seconds, I felt a comforting hand on my shoulder. I open my eyes and Sander's standing over me, his golden-blue eyes staring into mine. "Hey Yang. Just FYI, we've arrived." He said.

I snapped awake and I peer out the window on my side. Below us, a large and jagged mountain range spreads out as far as my eyes can see. I look down at the base of one of the mountains and my jaw drops. At the base of the mountain is a huge ship unlike anything I have ever seen before. I can only make out that the top is round and its boosters jut out from the rocks of the particular mountain.

"Gee, I wonder. Is that our destination?" I ask sarcastically. Some of our group laughed a little at the sarcasm. A few seconds later, the Bullhead touches down in the middle of an empty field and the hatch finally opens up. We all stand up and slowly walk off the ship. Once everyone is off, the hatch closes up behind us and the ship takes off and leaves us behind. We are about to head to the ship wreckage when I sense something moving our way.

"Get behind the trees! Something's coming!" Sander said, obviously sensing the danger as well.

Everyone looked shocked at the sudden edge in Sander's voice, but hide behind the nearby trees anyway. Then the sound of clanking metal rang out in the clearing and 2 robots appear from out of tree cover. From the stories Sander told me, these are super battle droids. They stare at the direction where the dying sounds of a Bullhead can still be heard.

"Another one of those ships." One of them said. Wait, what? They can talk like normal people? Sander never said anything about that.

"They're persistent, I'll give them that. Probably left something behind. Spread out." The other droid said and the 2 separated. I look to my left to see Sander's shocked face. He pulls out his lightsaber hilt. He activates the blue blade and lunges at the war machine. With a slash, he cuts the droid in half.

"Jedi!" the other one shouts and points his fist at Sander and lets loose a stream of laser fire. Sander, using his fighting style he created during his time at Beacon, he expertly dodges the blasts until he gets in striking range and cuts the droid's blaster arm off before cutting the machine in half, ultimately disabling the droid.

Sander stared down at the scraps that were once battle droids in shock while deactivating his lightsaber. Everyone emerged from their tree cover, staring at Sander like he just grew a second head.

"What was that weapon you used? I've never seen anything like it before." Ruby said that and other things, but she said them so fast, no one could understand what she said.

Sander looked down at his weapon before clipping it on his utility belt that's around his waist. "It's a weapon from my past. I can talk more about it later. What really worries me is that I sensed…life in them. Somehow, these battle droids have become sentient."

I felt the blood drain from my face a little at hearing those words. It's one thing to fight mindless machines and Grimm, but sentient machines that only Sander has experience fighting?

"Well, that's not good for us." Ren said, voicing my thoughts.

"What it means is that we have to sneak into the base and plant the explosives without being seen." Pyrrha said.

I didn't like it. I much prefer taking on my opponents head-on. But if it's necessary to complete this mission without anyone being killed, the I will do it. When I see the faces of my comrades, I can tell that they're having the same thoughts.

"Let's not waste another minute. Let's destroy these machines!" Weiss said and began walking towards the ship wreckage.

We all look at each other. Weiss has been particularly anxious to destroy this ship since it's her company that is being beat down by the droids. Silently, we walk towards the wreckage of the alien ship.

Beside me, I heard Sander whisper, "May the Force be with us."

Hopefully the Force is with us, because something inside that shipwreck screams with malice.


	15. Chapter 14: The Mission - Part 2

Heads up: This is probably one of the most important chapters in this story.

* * *

 **Sander Blanco's POV:**

It took several minutes, but we arrive at the wreck that was once a Separatist battleship.

Without a word exchanged, we enter the ship as silently as possible. That is pretty difficult to do, considering that my guts want me to run inside and destroy everything in sight. War instincts, I guess. Got that from…no, I can't think about THAT part of the wars.

Once inside, we walk through the large circular chamber that's surprisingly spacious. I felt the Force encourage me to look up, and so I did. To my delight, a pair of sturdy pipes are hanging from the ceiling. I stop the group behind me and point up. They look up and see the pipes and I can tell that they came to the same conclusion as me. Channeling the Force into my legs, I jump onto the pipes. I lower my hand to the group and, one by one, they climb up next to me.

"I'll take the lead." I whisper to the group and silently crawl forward. Using the Force, I muffle our movements along the pipes. We keep crawling until we finally came to the main body of the ship. If we kept going on the ground, we would have walked right through a red lazer security system.

To say I'm shocked at what we see is an understatement. It looks like the ship fused with the mountain itself. The main floor was ripped off, leaving a gaping hole in the center of the ship. On the floor below us, I see hundreds upon hundreds of battle droids are at work, rebuilding their ship and moving crates of who-knows-what around. On the floor we're currently on, several droidekas are staring down, shield generators and blasters active as they stared down at the construction below. After brushing their minds, I learn that they are just standing there to keep everything secure. Even during my time in the Clone Wars, I have never seen anything quite like this.

"What is all this?" Ruby asked, looking around. I can only imagine what kind of shock is going through her head, seeing all this. I push them back into the tunnel so we can talk.

"I promise that I will explain everything later. For now, we need to concentrate on the mission. Pyrrha, use your semblance to disrupt those droideka's shield generators. When that happens, pull them backwards so we can silently dismantle them." I tell them. Everyone nodded and we silently got behind the droidekas. Pyrrha held up her hands, which then glowed with a black aura.

The droids were pulled backwards, their generators down. I activate my lightsaber and slash apart my droid. The others also made quick work of their assigned droids. Even Jaune did a good job slashing its head off. I walk towards the edge and stare down. The others walked towards me and also looked down. An idea clicks in my head. "On 3, jump onto that crate, then jump behind it." I whisper silently.

Everyone nodded, saying they understood. I lift up my first finger, then my second, and finally my third. When I lift the third finger, I jump over the side and silently land on my feet. Within a second, I backflip and land behind the crate. I heard very faint clangs on top of me, followed by the rest of my group landing on their feet next to me. I look from around the corner and notice droids hard at work. On the wall that's several feet in front of us stands a medium-sized blast door that no droids are entering or exiting through. The Force beckoned to me, encouraging me to go through that door and see what waits for us on the other side. I sneak closer to the door, making sure to remain out of sight, and notice a pad on the left side of the door.

'Great. Its password protected.' I think bitterly. Before I could think of what to do next, the door opened again. I force myself to keep still when I realize what stepped out. A single Magna Guard walked out of the room, accompanied by 2 super battle droids.

"How are the repairs coming along?" the Magna Guard asked to a standard issue battle droid that just walked up to the Guard.

"Repairs are coming along at a steady rate, sir." The droid said, and the 4 walked to the construction site. Then I look back and notice the doors closing. Using the Force, I stop the door. Waving my friends along, we run through the open door. Once everyone is through, I release the Force hold and the door closes completely.

"Why did you lead us here, Sander?" Blake asked, looking worried.

I shrugged. "Something tells me that something major is in here. I want to see if my instinct is right." I answer and return to the front of the group. I walk through the narrow and empty corridor. Several doors branch off in different directions, but we keep going forward. When we arrive at the end stands a large, circular room with a huge computer on the far wall.

We all look up at the supercomputer, awestruck. I walk up to it and push the activate button. Apparently, the sentient droids hadn't counted on intruders making it this far into the ship, as the computer went straight to the database without asking for any password or any type of security. Out of everything listed there, 4 files stand out.

I picked the first one I selected is a layout of the ship. The computer displayed the hologram of the ship in the center of the room. I notice what we need to find here immediately. "Here's the power generators where we will plant the explosives." I tell them, pointing to a temporary generator at the bottom of the ship, while the main generator is at the top. Being prompted by the Force, I get out my empty flash drive that I salvaged from my days as a Padawan and I plug it into the computer and download the ship schematic.

Exiting that program once I'm finished, I have a look at the next one. 'Our Home.' The next hologram that came up filled my heart with so many emotions. It's a projection of my old home, my old galaxy. The spiral galaxy with thousands of planets, like Mandalore, Corusant, and many others. Then I remembered something and zoom into the deepest stretches of the galaxy, surrounded by a meteor field. Sure enough, recorded in the middle, protected by the rocks, is the Helios system, home to the beautiful, but infamous planet Gaia. "What…is…all this?" Blake asked hesitantly, completely stunned and awestruck at what she is seeing.

I look at Blake and give her a sad look. "This was where I come from. That planet to be precise." I answer and zoom out. I zoom in on the city planet and a holographic projection labels the planet as Corusant, the capitol of the Old Republic.

Everyone just stared at me, completely flabbergasted. Then they remembered my remark about the Clone Wars and their shocked expressions dim a little. "I just…can't believe you come from another planet." Penny said, barely a whisper.

"I know. I'll tell Ozpin and Glynda everything when we get back to Beacon." I tell them and also download the data of my old galaxy. "But I'm interested to see this piece of data." I continue, clicking on the next piece of data, labeled 'the alternate galaxy.' Another hologram of another large galaxy appears. This one, however, is an elliptical galaxy that contains thousands of stars, planets and moons. Each one looked completely different. One of them is glowing a dark blue color, with huge storms raging over its watery surface. What caught my eye is a single planet, surrounded by some kind of rippling field. Zooming in onto the field, it is labeled as a 'Worm Zone. An unstable energy field that causes rips in dimensions, creating wormholes that are felt in other galaxies.' That doesn't sound too good. Anyway, I click the planet in the center of the galaxy. The planet became labeled as 'Eternia. Home to many mysterious forces.'

Zooming out, I search through until… "I think this is it." I tell the group and point to a familiar planet nearly on the edge of the galaxy, but is separated from the edge of the galaxy by a massive meteor belt. The hologram zoomed in on the planet. The label popped up and sure enough, it said 'Remnant. Home to powerful creatures of darkness.'

No one said a word. Everyone is amazed at knowing exactly where they are in this galaxy, my home. Wasting no time, I download the data on this galaxy as well. Exiting that, I finally download the data on the cargo contained on this ship.

Before I get a chance to see what that has to say, however, the dreaded sound of the door opening rang out. I pull the flash drive out of the computer and stick it into the pocket of my vest and whirl around. To my horror, the Magna Guard steps into the corridor, flanked by its 2 super battle droid bodyguards.

"No escape, fleshings. You will die in here." The Magna Guard said in a robotic voice and activated its electric spear. Both tips glowed purple due to the electricity that now crackles there. In response, the super battle droids pointed their blaster arms at us.

Oh boy, are we in trouble.

* * *

 _AN:_ I hope you liked the creation of the galaxy Remnant is a part of. Oh yeah, even more planets will be introduced at a later time.

That, along with the other data, has a major role in the future.

I will see you all next time!


	16. Chapter 15: The Mission - Part 3

**Yang Xiao Long's POV:**

I get into a battle stance, my Ember Celica gauntlets ready to go.

I will not die on this ship. Around me, my friends also get out their weapons and prepare for the upcoming fight. Even Sander unclipped his lightsaber and activated it. "Not today." He said and ran at our mechanical opponents.

"A Jedi. Your lightsaber will be a fine trophy to my collection when I'm done." The machine said, with a little edge in its voice.

But Sander didn't listen. He ran at our adversaries, with the rest of us following closely behind. Sander cuts down the super battle droid bodyguards and begins attacking the MagnaGuard. It successfully kept Sander at bay, even with the Force at his side.  
After a few seconds of the standoff, I send a dust bullet to the MagnaGuard. The droid briefly froze in place because the Dust actually short-circuited the MagnaGuard, giving Sander the time required to slice the droid in half. He looked up at me,  
beaming.

"Nice shot." He said, then his face hardened drastically. "All right, change of plans. We're splitting up to cover more ground. Me and Yang will take the main generator that you all say. The rest of you, take these explosives and make the temporary generator  
at the base of this ship go bye-bye." He said.

He gave the larger group the explosives. Jaune looked worried. "What about you 2?" he asked.

His face is grim. "Once you set the explosives, get out of here as fast as possible. We'll make it out, for sure." He said.

Everyone looked at each other, doubtful looks on their face. But even without the Force encouraging me to agree, I already know that it's the only way.

Sander walks to the door and it swings open to reveal a scene of chaos. Droids are letting loose their lazers and coming right at us. Sander ran out, spinning his lightsaber. To my amazement, the lazers got reflected back to their senders, causing them  
to fall to the ground, immobile. The larger group went right while me and Sander ran left. I shot dust bullets at them while Sander used his lightsaber to reflect the blaster shots. We run down the long passageways until we come to another door on  
out left. "Get in!" Sander said once the door opened.

As instructed, I ran into the door way. Directly in front of me is a single elevator shaft with its doors closed. Sander ran in, slamming the doors behind him. I use my strength to smash the door open, revealing an elevator just waiting for us to enter.  
Sander walked into the elevator. "Cover me!" he shouts, stabbing his lightsaber into the ceiling and carving a circle. I turn around and begin firing more shots at the droids, enhanced with my aura this time. Now, the bullets are more explosive, either sending them flying backwards or making them explode altogether. I did that while dodging the blaster fire that's filling the air.

"Let's go!" Sander said. I turn around and see Sander lowering the searing circle of metal to the ground and looked up at me. His eyes widened and he held out his hand. A shot that would have hit me in my lower back was reflected back, destroying a super battle droid. He jumped up the elevator and after walking into it, also jump up. I grab the top and force myself onto the roof. Sander stood next to me, looking up. I follow his gaze and notice another closed door up top. The next floor.

"Yang, use the living Force. Bend it to your will to do what you need to do." He instructed. I look up at the door and close my eyes, concentrating. The power I felt around me is amazing, like no feat is impossible. A crashing noise rings out and I open  
my eyes to see that I had ripped the doors open. Using the metal I have, I send it downwards, smashing a battle droid that tried to climb up next to us. Sander ran to the wall before him and gave a tremendous leap. He successfully flew up and stood  
at the open doorway. "Come on!" he shouted.

Channeling the living Force around me, I jumped as well. The air I got is a jump no one can perform normally, but it's a little short. But Sander was there and grabbed my arm. He hauled me up onto the platform.

"For the first time using the Force to that degree, you did a lot better than most people do after months of training." He complimented me, smiling.

My heart skipped a beat and I had to hold back a blush. Yup, I definitely concluded that I have a crush on Sander. I will have to find the right moment to bring it up later. We run straight down the narrow hallways, using our weapons to stun or destroy any droids that stood in our way. After running over 100 feet, it came into view.

The main generator that powers this whole ship.

It is large and tall, with a glass dome on top. A red light is shining outwards as it gave power to this shipwreck. Around it are a dozen droidekas. Before we take them on, however, something caught my eye and I falter.

Sander obviously noticed it as well and didn't charge, but looked left. Another hallway stretched for about 20 feet, with the far wall being a giant vault door. A single super battle droid has its back turned, hitting buttons on a console before it. The  
Force beckoned to me, telling me to take what's most valuable inside.

"Do you feel it? We need to see what's inside first." I whispered into Sander's ear.

He nodded and we sneak behind the droid. It never stood a chance as Sander quickly sliced the droid in half with his blue lightsaber before deactivating it and clipping it onto his belt again. We both stare up at the large door. Then I get an idea on  
how we can get in. Sander seems to have thought of the same thing as well as he helped me rummage through the droid's scrap pile.

"Got it." Sander said, holding up an advanced-looking key. He stands up and puts it into the slot on the console. The vault hisses faintly and opens a crack. I pull it open enough to allow us enough room to slip inside. When we did, I am surprised at  
what awaited us.

Several things are inside, ranging from valuable looking machinery to large blasters, but the thing that stands out the most are the 3 pedestals before us. Each one has a glass dome over it, preserving its contents. The pedestal on the left holds a single, large white crystal that is jagged on both sides. The center pedestal holds smaller twin yellow crystals that glow just as much as the white crystal. The last pedestal, however, is completely empty. The glass is smashed and the contents gone. The last thing I just noticed is a large metal container, holding who knows how many crystals, neatly aligned to fit inside. "We can't worry about what is in the empty case yet. We need to get these crystals." Sander said, slamming the butt of his lightsaber into both glass domes. I felt drawn to the yellow crystals, so I grab those.

But the second I do, immense pain coarses through my body, unused to the power these crystals possess. I close my eyes from the pain. Just as the pain suddenly started, it suddenly stops. I open my eyes again and stare down at the crystals. They are now glowing with a greater light than before. Sander is also staring down at his crystals. "I don't know why we have done..whatever the heck happened between us and these kyber crystals, but I'd rather keep all of them on hand." He said, pocketing his crystal and grabbing the large metal case.

I put my smaller crystals into my own pockets and we leave the vault. We run back to the generator room and channels the Force around him. The shield generators that protected the droidekas before are now disarmed. As one, me and Sander go around, jumping high into the air and beating up the enemies. Within a minute, they are reduced to smoking pieces of scrap metal. From out of his belt pocket, Sander produced 2 bombs from the bag that he's keeping the other crystals in.

"I'll take this side." I said, taking the explosive Sander gave me, and walked to the right of the generator, planting it.

"Set the explosives to go off in 10 minutes." Sander said. I nod and prime the timer for 10 minutes. I obviously succeeded, as the timer began counting down.

"Let's get out of here." I tell him and we make to run out the door. But then…

"I think not. There will be no escape for you." Another MagnaGuard said, flanked by 2 more of them.

All at once, their electric spears flared to life, giving off an ominous purple glow.

* * *

 _AN:_ This was a fun and important chapter to write.

That missing relic will be detrimental in the future.

Thanks for reading and give me feedback on your thoughts.

Signing out.


	17. Chapter 16: The Mission - Part 4

_**Updated: 7/27/17**_

* * *

 **Sander Blanco's POV:**

* * *

Once again, I unclip my lightsaber and activate it.

"You in particular aren't welcome on this ship, Jedi. But, welcome to die!" the MagnaGuard in the lead said. The other 2 droids sigh slightly at their leader's words, but they charge at us anyway.

I take the droids head-on while Yang attacked them from either the sides or behind. I acknowledge and respect Yang's talent in close-range combat, but I don't want to have her hurt because these droids were built specifically during the Wars to kill Jedi. I slash wildly at the droids, making each move different from the last so as to confuse them and give me an edge. But the MagnaGuards are surprisingly efficient in combat, better than the others I faced with my mentor. Something tells me that the fact these droids are sentient makes them even deadlier.

Finally, Yang scores a hit on the backs of one of the droids, giving me the much needed time to cut its head off. The other 2 droids roared in anger and attacked us, much fiercer than before. Their flurry of attacks forces me to take a defensive stance. I wait until I get an opening and slash at one of the MagnaGuard's hands. It is cut clean off, but the spear crashes hard into the glass bottom. The glass shatters, causing the droid to fall to its death. I turn around, only to get hit in the stomach with the spear. Lots of electricity courses through my body, making my hands relax. Then, before my eyes, I watch my lightsaber slip from my grasp, clang against the metal supports, and fall down, down, down. My heart and hope fell with it.

My lightsaber is forever gone.

The droid pulled the spear away and I struggled to stay on my feet. Before the droid could attack me again, the most unexpected thing happened. Yang, looking really scared, lets loose a battle cry and charged at her opponent with its back turned. What is truly amazing is that a white light encased the machine, literally freezing it in place. She gives a tremendous punch to its stomach, which sends it flying. Channeling a large amount of the Force into my body, I ran to the flying droid and punched its head. The head came clean off and crashed to the ground at Yang's feet. The rest of the droids body collapsed at my feet. I stare at Yang in amazement, but she just looked at her hands with a confused look.

"What…" she is about to ask, but a loud explosion rings out. My heart stops for a second. That means our bomb is close to going off. Then a bitter truth hit me. There is no way of escaping out the main way. So what…

That's when the possibly most suicidal idea hit me. I have never tried this before, but this is a life or death situation. "Yang, get out your crystals." I tell her. I get out my own white kyber crystal. It glowed even brighter than before. Yang got out her twin yellow kyber crystals and held them in her hands. I walk behind Yang and make sure we're back to back.

"Sander? What are we doing?" Yang asks, starting to wonder if I have lost my mind. Which I might have.

"Yang, listen to me carefully. There's no way we can escape this ship alive through the entrance. The smoke will be too much. Think of a flat surface on one of the nearby mountains." I tell her, a little desperation in my voice. I can sense Yang go from confusion to understanding.

We need to try this. Already, the explosions are getting louder, the smoke is beginning to thicken and I can sense that our bomb is close to exploding. I close my eyes and concentrate with all my might. A dissolving sensation filled my body, but I kept my eyes closed and concentrated. For the next few seconds, I can't move any body part at all. Then I feel like all my nerves are being put back together. I waited until the sensation ended before slowly opening my eyes again. As I hoped, we are on a flat rock cliff, overlooking the mountain range. I lower my crystal and put it back into my utility belt. Surprisingly, teleporting isn't nearly as exhausting as I thought it would be. Probably because the crystal helped me with the Force technique, as I had hoped.

"What did we just do?" Yang asked, turning around to face me. She has a look of amazement on her face.

"Well, I had this really stupid idea inside. If we could concentrate hard enough on one particular spot, we can teleport there using the Force. Like I said, it was dumb, but I'd rather take stupid than…" I was interrupted when a loud explosion fills our ears. We look to our left and notice one of the mountains nearby exploded and began to collapse in on itself. "That." I finish. Then I straighten myself. "Well, our job is now done. Let's get back to the others and make sure they know we're safe." Before I can begin climbing down, Yang took my arm.

"Listen, Sander. When we were fighting those droids and you got hurt and lost your lightsaber, I thought you were going to die. Please promise me that you are not going to do something so stupid that you will get yourself killed." She said, pulling me into a hug.

I am immensely surprised at Yang's actions, wince a little from the spot where the MagnaGuard hit me, but I manage to hug her back. She looks up to my face, since I am a half a head taller than Yang. "I promise. By the way, since when did you get this emotional?" I ask her, confused by her change in attitude. Yang manages a wide smile while her rosy cheeks turn scarlet. To be honest, it makes her look even more beautiful.

"Since I have been thinking about our time during class at Beacon and the warship. I think I love you, Sander Blanco." She says then grabs my face with both her hands and kisses me on the lips. That catches me completely off guard, but I decide to just melt into the kiss, wrapping my arms around her. It is one of the most amazing feelings I have ever felt in my entire life. I was right all along; the Jedi Order were full of shit when it came to love. I break the kiss and just stare into Yang's scarlet face. At this point, to say that I'm not in love with the woman I have come to respect would be like saying Cardin is promoting equality for all Faunus and is secretly shitting on the Schnee Dust Company's transportation crates.

"You're not wrong. I think I love you, Yang Xiao Long. Let's talk about how far we want to go at a later time. We need to get back to our friends." I tell her. She nods, looking confused as to how this happened so fast. Then we began climbing down the cliff. It is steep, but we make it down in record time. Once we touch down on the grass at the mountain's base, we make a mad dash forward. Sure enough, everyone is there, safe and sound. They look absolutely miserable.

"Hey guys. Miss us?" I shout to them. They all looked up, startled. Their eyes are as wide as plates, then broad smiles broke out and they ran to us. Obviously, Ruby got to us first, nearly tackling Yang with a hug.

"You're both OK. We all thought you were dead." She said, tears leaking down her face.

Yang stood back up and smiled at her step-sister. "It's alright. We just found another way out." She said. Then she looked at me. I quickly shook my head. For now, they need not know Yang's true potential. Even though I'm not from this galaxy, they still know nothing of the Force yet. Although I got the feeling that will change soon.

We didn't get to talk anymore as a Bullhead flew into view and landed before us, the hatch opening up. "Come. Let's tell Ozpin the good news." I tell the group.

Everyone nodded and boarded the ship, triumphant.

Once everyone is on board and settled, the hatch closed and the airship took off.

* * *

 _AN:_ Well, the mission is now done.

Before I go on, I got the MagnaGuard to quote Magneto when he said "Welcome to die." I thought that moment was hilarious.

But anyway, I'll see you all next time!

Thanks for all the support!


	18. Chapter 17: The Memory of Evil's Past

**Sander Blanco's POV:**

* * *

It took a lot longer than I would have liked, but we finally return to Beacon Academy.

During the flight, I thought about my months as a student at Beacon Academy, and came to a revelation. Even though neither of us admitted it, Yang and I have had a crush on each other for quite a while. Then I came to the revelation that nothing, not even the Jedi Code, would stop me from loving her.

I was broken from my concentration when I look outside and notice that we are finally touching down on the ground at Beacon. The sun is setting, casting an orange glow over the campus. "Alright. As much as I don't want to admit it, we have to head to Ozpin's office now so we can tell him about our mission." I tell my companions.

They all give a combination of nodding in agreement and letting out a groan, looking absolutely exhausted, and we walk off the ship. We go through the empty academy grounds and past the various classrooms until we come to the main tower. I push a button, and the doors swing open, revealing the elevator. We enter the elevator and I push the button and we ride back up to Ozpin's office.

Once we reach the top, we find Ozpin sitting behind his desk, Glynda standing at his side, along with James Ironwood, general of the kingdom of Atlas. They seem to be discussing something, but their attention snapped up to us. "Ah, Mr. Blanco. Welcome back. So I can safely assume you and your companions completed your mission with flying colors?" Ozpin said, his hands held in front of his face.

"You assume very accurately." I said, after we all sit down.

"Now, I would like to know exactly what these androids are. I have never seen anything quite like them before." Ironwood said, looking intently at us.

Everyone looked at each other before staring at me. I sigh and face the 2 teachers. "Well, I'm not surprised you haven't heard of them. They aren't just from this planet, they're from another galaxy." I tell them. I get out my flash drive. "Here's the proof."

They stare at it before I plug it into a port on my scroll. Then a smaller holographic projection of my old galaxy appeared. Ozpin, Glynda and Ironwood stare at the hologram, awestruck beyond belief. Ozpin then stares at me. "So I'm guessing you're from this other galaxy as well. What I mean is that I have looked for an ID when I signed you up, just like I do for every student who enrolls here, and the ID you have was made when you were 8. There is no trace of you beforehand. Also, you seem to know from experience about another war that never happened here." He said. Glynda and Ironwood stare at Ozpin like he just grew a second head. Glynda not as much.

"Your intellect is as impressive as ever, sir." I tell him, leaning back in my chair.

Now the cat is out of the bag. "I see. Well, can you tell me more about what happened on your mission?" Ozpin asked.

I give a sigh and collect my thoughts so I can get started. "Well, it was a close call, to say the least. The real trouble started when we found out the hard way that the droids were sentient, somehow. After some sneaking around, we took some valuable data from the ship's supercomputer, got busted and were forced to split up. Thanks for the explosives, by the way. We used them all to blow up both generators for the ship. Oh yeah, one last thing. While we separated to set the explosives to the 2 generators, me and Yang recovered these from a heavy-duty vault, where all of the valuables were stashed." I add, and pull out my white crystal, while Yang pulled out her twin yellow crystals.

Everyone stared at the crystals in awe. "Amazing." Weiss breathed.

"Yes, these are unusually powerful kyber crystals. They are used to create powerful lasers. They are mainly used by my old faction, the Jedi Knights, in their elegant yet lethal weapons, the lightsaber." I explain to the crowd.

Now even Ironwood looks absolutely amazed at what my explanation. Some told me I was forgetting something, then I remember what it is. "I just remembered. We found these inside glass cases. However, one of the cases was already smashed and its contents removed. I would like to see what it was." I add, and exit the map of my old galaxy and select the file containing the cargo on the ship. It contained a lot of stuff, but its 3 most precious pieces of cargo are highlighted in red.

"Wow. We actually managed to recover 1,000 kyber crystals all salvaged from an ancient ship from the first Jedi Temple, made thousands of years ago. Legend said that the occupants of that temple mastered Force techniques that would be considered godly." I continue, awe in my voice. I read that the most valuable cargo was ever single kyber crystal on the ship, apparently another smaller transport ship that also crashed here carrying another thousand kyber crystals and…

I stare at the last piece of data, horrified. I blink several times to make sure my eyes aren't playing tricks on me, and I feel some of the blood draining from my face and my mouth hanging slack. Oh, are we in deep shit.

"What's wrong?" Yang asked, obviously sensing my distress.

I look up at her. She seems nervous by how scared I must look. "The most valuable cargo on that ship was the Holocron of Darth Kadabra. We need to find it. Now." I said, a little panic creeping into my voice.

"It's OK. We'll find this 'holocron.' What is that, by the way? What I really want to know is, who is this Darth Kadabra?" Ironwood asked. Everyone looked a little anxious about this guy if he can make me so nervous.

I take a deep breath. Oh boy, will this be painful to talk about. "A Holocron is a digital book, of sorts. It records all of the powers and wisdom a Jedi or Sith has gained when they make their holocron. For future generations to preserve traditions and whatnot. As you now know, holocrons are quite educational. The Sith, in all regards, are the complete opposites of the Jedi. We both manipulate the all-powerful energy field known as the Force in different ways. The Jedi use the light side for protection and always put other lives ahead of their own. It's one of their greatest traits, but they can get a little too generous. The Sith, however, use the Dark Side of the Force, and will do anything. ANYTHING. To get their way, even if it gets them killed later. As for Darth Kadabra, well, he was serious taboo among the Jedi and the Separatist party during the Clone Wars. He was the youngest and perhaps the most evil Sith lord of modern times. He was, and probably still is, taboo because he was a Jedi Padawan until he was caught associating with the Republic's enemies at age 15. Despite being young, he was unnaturally gifted with terrorism, combat, and weaving fear into the hearts of his enemies. I never told any of you about him before because those days he lived in were truly dark ones. He used to lead a Sith Empire that was so formidable it required an unknowing alliance between the Republic, Separatists and all the rebel cells that lived in the Empire's capitol to attain victory. Force-Sensitive children who became lethal soldiers, machines that were flawlessly disguised as humans so they can infiltrate fortresses and annihilate any enemies, and so much more were at Kadabra's disposal. Because of what happened in the war, almost everyone held a grudge against the Old Empire, me especially, but I'd rather not go into detail on why at this very moment."

Everyone looked at each other, now somewhat scared about what they heard.

"But, moving on to more pressing matters, we also acquired the map of the galaxy Remnant is part of." I add, and leave the cargo list. I select the section and the picture of the new galaxy appeared. They all looked at the screen. Ozpin, Glynda and Ironwood look particularly fascinated as they haven't seen this yet. But we are all still awestruck at the sight. I have a closer look at the planets.

I decide to see what one of the planets is, next to the raging storm planet. This one is also mostly water based, but this planet also has islands everywhere, as well as volcanoes. Curious, I select it. The description labeled it as 'Margarita: A watery, volcanic planet. Its unique species: Parrotheads. Would you like to see more?' I exit that description and see an odd planet, just outside the Worm Zone. This planet is completely made of metal, a dim light coming from its center and it looks like its recovering from a deadly war that raged over its surface.

Something about this planet seems familiar. I wonder what Leia would have made of this…Then it hit me. The stories me and my mentor read together in the library at the Jedi Temple on Corusant, made by old Jedi Sages. I read many stories and aside from the stories involving Revan and Malak, another favorite for me spoke of a legendary metal planet with giant beings that could wage wars that would make even the mandalorians piss their pants. They are just as mysterious as the mythical monsters that once haunted Gaia during the days of the Sith empire.

"So this is Cybertron." I whisper, staring at the simulation of the planet.

"Cybertron? What's that?" Ruby asked, confusion on her face.

"Cybertron is a pure metal planet home to metal giants that can take different forms. They nearly destroyed themselves in a civil war that has lasted for millions of years." Max said, sounding suspiciously like a narrator.

We all stare at him, incredulously. "How in the Force did you know about that?" I ask, a little suspicion in my voice.

Max looked down to his knees. "You're not the only one with secrets, Sander. You see, I was once a soldier in that war on the Autobot side. Thanks to you, I know that I have the Force in me. It allowed me to take my cybertronian body and seal inside this human form so I can change between my 2 forms. When I became human, I gained an aura and my semblance, which is energy-resistant skin. In a way, I am truly human as well." He said, lifting his head up.

I flinch at the shadows under his eyes and how he seemed to age in seconds. No one could believe what they heard. Another alien here. I put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry about it. That doesn't change my views of you. You're still my friend."

It took a little for everyone to digest everything, but one by one, the rest of my teammates also said that he's a good person and he is a companion of theirs. I could see tears brewing in his eyes. "Thanks you guys." He said. While this happened, I failed to notice Ironwood stroking his chin, wondering how he can gain Max's help in advancing Atlas's technology even more to protect the people of Remnant more effectively than ever.

"It's good to see friends stick together in all situations." Ozpin said, bringing everyone's attention back to him. "But I can tell you are all ready to go, so I won't hold you any longer. Have a nice night." He said.

We all get up and leave the office. Once we get back to our dorms, we all look at each other. "So, what now?" Weiss asked.

"We party. That's what. Let's celebrate our first mission ever!" Ruby said. We all look at each other before consenting to the idea.

We all sneak to the mess hall, steal lots of food and drinks, and party like crazy all night long in team RWBY's dorm.

The biggest result of our partying is annoying our dorm mates half to death. Cardin actually ran into our room in his pajamas, but he is so exhausted, he passes out and falls forward. We all fall into fits of laughter after that spectacle, rock music playing in the background.

Yup, things are starting to pick up.

* * *

 _AN:_ I hope you liked this chapter.

There were parts that were difficult to figure out, but I did it. I hope you liked the Cybertronian bit. I just felt like having an alien from the same galaxy on Remnant felt necessary.

Next time, Sander and Yang continue their fateful steps to their future.

Anyway, thanks for all the awesome support you have given me and I hope to improve in the future.

Have a happy July 4th!


	19. Chapter 18: A Heritage and the Trials

_Underline-italic_ = spiritual chatter

* * *

 _ **Updated: 1/17/17**_

* * *

 **Yang Xiao Long's POV:**

After our loud party which got many people to complain to Ozpin about, we are back to classes, getting adjusted to the fact that Max is an alien from this galaxy and doing homework.

Ugh. Why? At least we are looking forward to the Vytal Carnival Ball and Field Day that are arriving in 2 weeks. That is when students of all years shadow a professional Huntsman or Huntress on a mission. Every day, more transfer students are arriving so they can participate in the Vytal Festival. The week passed without anything special happening, aside from extra practice sparring and nearly falling asleep doing homework. Speaking of foreigners, Ironwood had tried to ask Ozpin to have Max come to Atlas after they're done at Beacon so he can get their help in upgrading Atlas's technology so the kingdom can protect more people, but Ozpin flat-out refused. Or so I heard from Penny who was in that meeting.

Finally, after a grueling week, the weekend finally arrived. The problem now is what can we do. I sat on my bed in the morning, trying to figure out how I can spend my day when a familiar voice rings in my head. _"You are finally ready. Come to the Emerald Forest and bring your kyber crystals with you."_ Qui-Gon said.

Instantly, uncertainty was replaced with excitement and I got up. "Hey, team. I just thought of something I'm going to do today. Don't expect to see me for a little while." I tell my teammates. They just nodded without paying much attention, as they are doing their own things. Ruby cleaning Crescent Rose, Weiss closely examining Dust crystals and Blake reading some book. I take advantage of this and walk out the door. Thankfully, Blake, Weiss, nor Ruby tried to stalk me as I left, something I'm grateful for.

I make my way through the academy and to the cliff, where I am launched back into the Emerald Forest. When I landed, I walked toward the ruins in the small clearing, where our teams were formed. In the middle, 2 large boulders jut out of the ground, surrounded by the cracked stone. Then I sense another presence nearby and recognize who it is. "You can come on out, Sander." I said.

Sure enough, he came out of the tree cover, smiling. "You got here pretty fast. I only made it here a minute ago." He said. In his left hand, he is holding a strange metal device in his hands.

Before I can ask what it is, Qui-Gon's voice rang out again. _"Thank you for coming to these ruins so quickly. This place, much like the planet, is strong with the Force. A perfect place to continue your training."_

I felt a little adrenaline rise up in me, but something about what he said bothered me. "Wait, you just said 'continue.' What do you mean?" I ask, confused.

 _"Well, you are quite observant, Yang. What I mean is that you have already started your trials, and passed with flying colors. Together, you have both completed the Trials of Fear, Anger, Betrayal and Forgiveness. Those 4 are easily the harshest of all the trials, driving many Jedi insane."_ Qui-Gon answered.

I am about to protest and say that we have just started the trials, but then I remember that night. That fateful night when the Dark Side of the Force briefly got the better of me, which resulted in Sander getting an injured back. That was a scene that still haunts me sometimes. Sander seems to have come to the same conclusion as me, judging by his shocked look. _"When I saw the Force started your training, I was a little worried. But you both did much better on that set of training than most Jedi ever do. However, before you continue your journey to not being Jedi but being human, Sander, it's time you listened to your master's last message."_ Qui-Gon said.

'So THAT'S what the metal device is.' I realize. Sander nodded, while murmuring, "That's mentor." He told me that he never agreed with many Jedi traditions. Anyway, he sets the device on the ground, then pushes a button on the top. Suddenly, the triangular device split and reveals some alien-looking technology that began glowing blue and produced a projection of a woman. I have no doubt that this woman was Sander's former mentor. She is tall with a lean build, with shoulder-length blonde hair and purple eyes. Only now did I realize how much I remind Sander of his mentor. Then she begins speaking, a frantic tone in her voice.

"Sander, if you are listening to this, then it means that I'm not only dead, but the Jedi Order has fallen. Not to mention a dark fate has befallen the entire galaxy. But don't be afraid, for fear always leads to the Dark Side, and eventually, death. I have faith in wherever you are, even if it's outside our whole galaxy, the Force will guide you in your life. Yes, we have suspected that there are many galaxies out there aside from our own. So after we ultimately defeated Darth Kadabra during the Clone Wars, we learned of his inter-dimensional technology and decided to reverse-engineer it and attempt recreation in the form of a freighter that would theoretically breach the magnetic field that surrounds our entire galaxy. Jedi Grandmaster Yoda agreed that you should be the one to see what the other galaxies are, since you are truly a unique being. As you know, we learned about your status after the fateful battle on Dantooine, when you unleashed that special fire to roast entire armies of our enemies, and I began investigating it with Yoda. What I learned was astounding. On your father's side, you are one of the last descendants of the Revanists, the Jedi who were taught by Revan himself. Not to mention your father was a thrill-seeking space pirate captain who helped deliver news to the Senate from the darkest corners of the galaxy. His and his entire crew's death at the hands of the Separatists was one of the many reasons for the Clone Wars. As for your mother…well, I met her once, and I can honestly say is that she's one of the scariest people I've ever met. But anyway, use your powers to bring good to everyone around you, and know that I am proud of you. May the Force be with you."

With that, the transmission ended. Sander just stands there for a second, blinking rapidly. Not that I blame him at all. _"As you can see, the Grandmaster had faith that you wouldn't fall from the Light's path, even if you had the reputation of a rebel. The best way to achieve your destiny is to learn how not to be a Jedi, but how to be human and help others."_ Qui-Gon said.

Sander stared down at his hands for a few seconds before looking back up again, a steeled look in his golden-blue eyes. "So…when do we start?" he asked. I smile, already knowing that I'm always ready for any action thrown my way. I could sense Qui-Gon's approval as well.

 _"Well, then. Your next test is the Trial of Protection. Protect as many of your comrades as possible. Remember, you will only have the Force and your crystals at your side. Get into a meditative position on those boulders and you will be ready. May the Force be with you."_ With that, me and Sander sit on the boulders and close our eyes. Instantly, I lose consciousness.

When I open my eyes again, I'm in a completely different scene. I am in the center of the plaza at Vale, where corpses of people are lying everywhere and the sounds of screaming can be heard in the distance. In the air, the Atlesian Air Force is fighting a vast swarm of Nevermores and slowly losing the fight. All around me, the city is burning and all of our friends are there. The rest of my team, team JNPR, Ozpin, Glynda, and the other 3 members of team SPAM lay there, wounded and barely holding on to life. The only one in our group who's different at all is Max. He looks to be a 30-foot-long robot with red battle armor and a round helmet with curved horns on each side and twin swords lying next to him, split in half. Max is completely unconscious, if not dead.

Before I can say anything about Max's original form, another scream rings out, much sharper than the others, and a civilian man runs in before freezing and falling forward, an axe in his back. A White Fang soldier jerks the bloody axe out of the body, more of his comrades behind them and Grimm stalking at their sides. A scene of true horror, but I get ready for a brawl.

"We need to protect them!" Sander said, leaping over Max's body. While in midair, he holds his palm out and sends a wave of Force energy into one group of enemies and sent them flying back. Another wave of enemies are making their way to the plaza. "Yang, do what I did now!" I nod, then turn and hold my own palm up and concentrate on the Force, urging it to push them away.

I can almost feel the air ripple as it sends a massive wave, sending the larger wave away and damaging a clothes shop. "Nice one. But tone it down a little and conserve your energy for now." Sander said. He whirled around and punched an Ursa Major in the stomach. He obviously charged the Force into his fists since the Ursa went flying away several feet. "They keep on coming! We need to find a way to put them down for good!" Sander shouted. Then I get an absolutely crazy idea that may or may not work, but why else would Qui-Gon ask us to bring them?

"Sander! Get out your crystal. I have an idea." I call to him.

He stared at me like I was crazy, then his eyes flitted across one of Max's large swords lying on the ground. He understands what I had in mind immediately. "Well, no harm no foul I suppose." He said, pulling out his white crystal. He held it in his hands and deeply concentrated. I follow suite. I felt the Force solidify around the crystals and I saw them, to my immense surprise, twin 3-foot long double edged blades made of yellow light. Sander, however, had his weapon become a medium-sized broadsword made of dark gold light. I didn't get the chance to admire what we just did before we had to jump back into action. Together, me and Sander hacked, slashed and decimated the Grimm and stabbed the White Fang soldiers in the legs or feet, but never killed any of them. One soldier slashed my hair and I gave him a major beat down. "Ha! You're not as tough as you think you are." I said after beating him down, then return to the fight. I manage to hold my own in combat with my blades, but not like a master can. Maybe I should start considering getting a degree and practice in sword fighting for good measure. Within minutes, with our Force-made weapons and Force powers, the field is riddled with dead Grimm bodies and the White Fang soldiers, groaning on the ground.

All around us, the field begins turning black before it completely surrounds us and a heavy cloud seems to fall in my head, making me fall unconscious again.

When I regain consciousness once more, I find myself on the boulder in the middle of the ancient ruins again. But I find myself in a meditative position on 1 of the rocks. I get off, confused about how I got in that position. _"My, my, my. You have impressed me yet again. You have completed your next trial and have come a step closer to becoming true Jedi. Yang, I would recommend learning how to take elements of your fighting style and apply it to swordplay so you can become more proficient in both arts and to not recklessly run into a fight. Think about the challenge in front of you and proceed in the best way possible in your opinion. Sander, continue learning at Beacon fighting techniques and include more speed in your heavier attacks. Now, every Saturday from this day on, meet me here so you can continue your trials. Be prepared, for even if you survived the most mentally taxing, none of the other trials are to be taken lightly."_

After those words, I sensed Qui-Gon's spirit leaving. "Yang, you were awesome!" Sander exclaims, pulling me into a hug. I'm a little surprised by the sudden gesture, but return it anyway. I look up at Sander and give him a teasing smile. He seemed to get what I am getting at, and smiled back. Slowly he leaned in and kissed me softly on the lips. Instantly, I return it, feeling much happier than before.

When we break it, I just smile gratefully. "Eh, I didn't break a sweat. Looks like we went out with a 'Yang' on that fight. Let's get back to our dorms, our teammates must be wondering where we are by now." I said.

Sander nods in agreement, and we make our way back to the Academy, holding hands the whole way.

Something tells me that things are about to get rather bumpy in the not-too-distant future.


	20. Chapter 19: Enter a Battle Master

_**Updated: 2/26/17**_

* * *

 **Sander Blanco's POV:**

After my last Jedi test, I feel more…competent than I did before.

Sadly, after the trial, the weekend came and went faster than I would have liked, resulting in school's inevitable return. Of course, one of the biggest things to happen is knocking Cardin and his teammates down a notch...for the who knows how many times. Honestly, it's getting aggravating how repetitive the pattern in.

But in the middle of the week, the highly anticipated Vytal Festival Ball arrives. It is a rather entertaining night, with such classics like the fact that I went with Yang to the ball, after she gave Blake a small dance to make her feel better after Blake spent her free time the past week relentlessly searching for signs of the White Fang, of course. I have a fun time at the dance with my friends, even though these events aren't my favorite. Those stupid Atlas rich people are to blame for that. Easily the best part was when Pyrrha changed Jaune's clothes from a nice suit to a freaking dress. I didn't know what to do, so settled on running out the door so I could laugh my ass off at the spectacle, not to mention humiliation in front of Weiss.

Saturday came once again, and we all got into our favorite outfits, with mine now including black combat boots and a dust infused blue bandana I wear around my head so it can hold up my messy hair that allows me to resist gun blasts, and head to the auditorium. Once everyone had gathered and set their gear aside, Ozpin launched into a speech that described the Great War, which occurred here on Remnant 80 years ago and how the people of Vale and Vacuo opposed the thought of losing individualism that spread across Mantle and Mistral by fighting the 2 kingdoms and started naming their children after colors, and how that tradition has carried on even to this very day. Then Ozpin went into detail on how it requires effort from the Hunters and Huntresses to uphold the peace and unity Remnant is experiencing.

I could've sworn I saw Penny wince slightly at those words, but I couldn't really tell, since it happened so fast. Then Ozpin told us that we will be shadowing a professional Huntsman or Huntress on a particular mission, and reminded us to remember to follow our training and do our very best.

Once the speech had finished and everyone had stopped clapping for the inspiring speech, we head over to one of the screens and select a 'Search and Destroy' mission. My team wanted a mission in the West, while team RWBY wants a mission in the Southwest. Once we select our missions and enter our team names, however, we are rejected.

"I don't want to assign those missions to first years since both those areas are rather popular with the Grimm." Ozpin said, walking right up to us, sipping from his mug as usual. Seriously, do I want to know how high his coffee bill is?

"But, since I have the sneaking suspicion that you're going to go there anyway, why not just bend the rules a little?" he added and types on his scroll. Meanwhile, we all glare at Ruby, who rubs the back of her head sheepishly. "Now, be prepared. If the 2 professional Huntsman you will be shadowing on your missions deem you immature and unready for the tasks at hand, they can and will send you back. Understood?"

We all nod, accepting the terms. "Excellent. Team SPAM, you will be going with Beacon's Battle master. Before you meet him, I must give you a fair warning. Whatever you do, do not take him too seriously, and you'll make it out in 1 piece and sane." Ozpin said, and sent us a "Good luck." Before walking away.

We all look at each other, the anxiety evident on all our faces. "I wonder why Ozpin singled out our particular Huntsman." Max said, deep in thought.

"I don't know, but he must be a serious nut job for Ozpin to warn us from taking this guy seriously." Alex muses.

"Maybe he's one of the authors of Madness." Penny says offhandedly. I don't think that's the case, but I do smile at the thought of that truly hilarious magazine that I have spent many hours reading in my room when I'm not training or being with the rest of the family. It is basically a magazine that basically makes spoofs of everything and everyone.

We walk out of the auditorium, grabbing our bags along the way out, and head to the docking bays. When we got there, we saw who would be leading team RWBY, and all of us freeze in shock and abject terror. My jaw is hanging open, nearly falling to the ground.

"Well, hello girls. Who's ready to fight for their lives?" Professor Oobleck said, optimistically and grinning like he just got out of a mental institution as usual. I nudge Max in the shoulder, then point to another docking bay. Max immediately understands, with Penny and Alec nodding once they've broken out of their shock.

"Alright then. We'll just leave you girls to this mission and go to our own. Have fun." I said to him, then we make a mad dash to where the other Bullhead is waiting for us. While I am patient most of the time, I do have my moments when I lose my cool and start spontaneously muttering curses out of frustration, or if I'm really angry, break something. Oobleck's fast chatter and me trying with all my might to understand everything is one of those moments where I lose my cool.

"Hey! Don't leave us!" Yang cries, but we just kept on running. Eventually, we came to our docking bay that's 2 bays to the left of the one we left team RWBY at so they can be at Oobleck's mercy. Once the Bullhead comes into view, we notice the hath opening up and and a man walks out.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Let's kick some serious asses!" he said enthusiastically. We just stood there, our faces mimicking team RWBY's when we saw Oobleck.

This man has to be, physically, the most intimidating man I've ever seen. He is tall, above 6 feet, and muscular to the point where I feel scrawny. Admittedly, I am more on the slender side, but have enough muscle to not be considered slender. He is wearing a green military hat with the brim covering his face, with his natural black hair that's greying on the sideburns and his hair partially covers his left eye poking out, a completely shaved face with no signs of a beard growing and light brown eyes. But what scares me a little is what he's wearing. He has on camouflage cargo pants, with each pocket full, and thick green battle armor that covers the chest and is carrying enough weapons and bullets on his shoulders, arms and strapped to his back to supply an army battalion. He even has twin assault rifles magnetically attached to both his pants, for crying out loud!

"Who…are you exactly?" Penny asks nervously, also gulping a little at what the purpose is to practically make yourself a walking arsenal.

"My name is Boomstick. Chad Boomstick." He said. "Now, enough questions, dirtbags. Let's kill some monsters. Move it, move it, move it!" He added, motioning to the ship.

We all look at each other. This wacko is the Huntsman we're assigned to? No wonder Ozpin warned us about him. But in the end, we get on board and the ship closes up once we're seated.

It took about half an hour, but we fly to the coast that separates Vale and Patch. Along the way, I talk to Boomstick to hold down my growing anxiety. "So, you're Beacon's Battle Master? How did that happen?" I ask.

"Well, my boy, that's simple. Being Beacon's Battle Master is my retirement job. I used to be a Hunter like you're going to be, before I was declared too sadistic and too bloodthirsty, not to mention perverted to the Huntresses. So, we were pulled off the field. The rest of my former teammates are also working here at Beacon behind the scenes." Boomstick said with pride. I mentally cringe, and got the feeling that Ozpin made him Battle Master so he can keep this out-of-control man on a leash. After a long silence, we come to another mountain range, and pass it. On the other side is another city. We are right near the ocean, with a large island in the distance, no doubt Patch. The ship sets down on the edge of the town and we get off.

"All right, troopers. We'll make camp in that broken-down building there." Boomstick said, pointing to a 2-story building that looks like it was once a store of sorts. Around the new city, which is surrounded by walls, ruins of an older settlement stand. Probably an expansion of the town before a Grimm invasion, forcing them to stay smaller. We walk into the building, open up our backpacks, and roll out our sleeping bags, and get out our pillows.

When we're all laid out, Boomstick starts talking to us. "Alright. In case any of you were too lazy to read the details, we are clearing out a Grimm horde in this area and relieve the risk of leaving the city. As for what happens when we meet them, we will blow the hell out of those dumb brutes until we have nothing left to shoot 'em with. Then, we will start stabbing them with their own bones and have them bathe in their blood. Am I..." But Boomstick is interrupted from his disturbing speech when I feel a prickle at the back of my neck and hear a growl. I turn around and see way more than a dozen Grimm, ranging from Beowulves to Bourbatusks.

I get out Star Blaster and change it to shotgun mode. I get off a quick shot, disintegrating 3 of the Beowulves right off the bat. I transform my still-smoking shotgun back into my double-edged broadsword. "Let's get 'em! Charge!" I shout to my team.

They roar in approval and joined me in the fight. We fight closely together so no one can get hurt by the Grimm as easily, but we stay out of each others way while we destroyed our enemies. I run around, slashing Grimm apart with Max, Alec is swinging his mace around and Penny is levitating boulders and smashing them into the enemy. By the time 5 minutes had passed, we are surrounded by dead Grimm, disintegrating into smoke. We look back at our camp, and notice that Boomstick is just watching us, an interested look in his eye.

"Bravo! You're actually pretty good in a fight. Not as good as me, but still." He said, laying on his side, an even weirder than usual issue of Madness in front of him. I would talk about it, but its really bad, even for my odd tastes.

In that moment, team SPAM came to the same conclusion. This guy is truly a madman. Fortunately, after many hours of endlessly fighting Grimm later, the sun begins to set, so we went to our camp and get some good rest, with each member of team SPAM taking turns on sentry duty. I get first watch and just be grateful I'm not fighting since my body aches horribly.

Early the next morning, we wake up, have a quick breakfast of sausages and get back to work decimating the Grimm approaching the area. But this time, Boomstick decides that he wants to join the fight as well. He wields a single-edged sword twice the size of him and looks suspiciously like it is made of brown flesh that can collapse into a long, collapsible pole that he can stick onto the back of his armor, along with his twin shotguns. All in all, it is a productive early morning, since we killed 100 more Grimm without expending too much energy.

Then it happened. The Force buzzes painfully in my mind, and after mentally reaching out to see what's going on, I pale. Yang and team RWBY are in trouble.

When the next wave of Grimm falls dead at our feet, Boomstick lifted up his scroll which just dinged. When he reads whatever is on there, his face paled. Then he began rapidly typing away on it. "Sorry, kiddos. We're cutting our job short. According to that nerd, Oobleck, Vale is about to be under attack. Luckily, we killed enough Grimm for the town to relax for a good while." He said.

We all exchanged panicked looks as the truth sets is. "But we can't just stand here. That Bullhead won't get here on time, even if it's just been deployed." Max said.

Then Penny's face lights up considerably after a moment of silence from the strict member of my team. "I have an idea. A crazy one, but still. I'll try conjuring a giant stone plate that will take us to the Bullhead, then we can ride it straight to the fight." She quickly suggests. I pale a little at the thought of being that high in the air.

"But that kind of conjuring. I'll be shocked if you aren't in a coma after that kind of power use!" Alec said.

I placed a hand on Penny's shoulder. "Don't worry about it. We need speed to join our friends in the defense. Besides, I'll give you more power to keep your semblance up." I said.

She nodded, not really liking the idea. "Let's do this, then." She said, and began concentrating. I send a considerable amount of Force energy into Penny, who concentrated even harder on her semblance than usual. The stones under us wobble then fly up and form a circle at our feet and after rising into the air, we began flying away at speeds that won't knock us over but still fast.

After about 15 minutes, the Bullhead came into view. We flew towards the ship, which spins around and lowers its ramp and we jumped on board. Penny cancels her semblance, and the disk dissipated into nothing. We all sit down while Boomstick walks upfront. "Alright, take us to Vale." He commanded in his loud and deep voice.

"Of course, sir. Hold on." The pilot said, and the ship immediately flies back the way it came as fast as possible. Which isn't a bad speed, but much too slow for my liking.

"Thanks for the help." Penny said, smiling a little sleepily.

"No problem." I answer, a little anxiety in my voice. That isn't missed by anyone.

"What's up?" Max asks, looking concerned for me.

"Nothing...I just suffer from high anxiety." I blurt out, then drop my head to the ground.

Alec, however, laughs at my response. "Wait, you're serious? The quickest swordsman I know who could smash Grimm like pinatas is afraid of heights?"

"Shut up." I said, not wanting to get into this conversation.

When we see the city of Vale again, I notice that thick streams of black smoke began filling the air. The city is already under attack.

"Everyone, get ready. Let's seal this breach." I tell my team confidently.

They all voiced their agreement, and I turned around. The hatch opened up again, and to my surprise, team RWBY is already fighting the army of Grimm pouring into the city.

Time to kick this fight up a notch and teach them that they can't leave me or my team out of a good fight.


	21. Chapter 20: The Breach

_**Edited: 2/26/17**_

* * *

 **Yang Xiao Long's POV:**

I am currently standing in a fighting position side by side with my 3 teammates, as we face the ever-growing onslaught of Grimm that have surrounded us as we stand in the center of our town.

The Grimm are surging into Vale because they were attracted here by the exploding train we boarded during our trip to Mt. Glenn with Professor (I mean, Doctor) Oobleck. The train that had been in the underground city had been manned by the White Fang, along with an assassin who whipped me down despite my training and even the Force. She was just that fast. But when I woke up again, she was gone. Something really weird happened, since I briefly saw a black-armored woman holding a sword at the silent assassin. But another weird thing that happened, I noticed several crates while on my way down that bore the symbol of red lightning in the center of a black circle. It was most likely my imagination, but I could have sworn I saw the name 'Blanco' written on it as we passed by an old generator.

But now as a result of failing to stop the exploding train, we are standing with our weapons unsheathed and ready to face the army of Grimm, hoping beyond hope that any one of our friends will come and help us save this town from destruction. The Grimm roared at us and some of the younger ones even charged forward, expecting an easy kill. I sent shotgun blasts at the Grimm, whom recoiled from the force of my attacks. Pun intended. Beside me, Ruby, Weiss and Blake dispatched their Grimm with equal ease. Before we could get too relaxed, a giant King Taijitu slithered out from the ranks of Grimm, some of whom are now beginning to attack Vale. Before the snake could strike us, however, Nora came barreling towards it through the air, smashing her over-sized hammer into the snake Grimm's head. The skull helmet cracked and the monster went reeling back, screeching in agony. The rest of team JNPR came running into the plaza along with Oobleck and Port, each one of them killing Grimm left and right. Even Jaune was able to single-handedly down an Ursa Major.

Then our hopes come true, and over a dozen Bullheads came flying right over us. Some of them began blazing their chain guns, taking down several Beowulves. "About time." Blake said, slicing another Beowulf in half. All of the Bullheads turned around and the warriors on board jump out. Most of them are the newest Atlesian Knight which began firing into the Grimm's ranks. But two of the Bullheads that turned around and opened up their ramps unloaded a total of 9 Hunters and Huntresses.

The first 4 are team CFVY, who let their insane experience take over and they fought so efficiently not even the Nevermore flying overhead stood a chance. But to my delight, the next 4 people I recognize is team SPAM. Sander unsheathes his double-edged sword, Star Blaster, and transforms it into his extra powerful double-barrel shotgun and blasts it at the Grimm while using the momentum to his advantage. There's no denying the fact that our training here at Beacon and to become Jedi have honed his fighting style into an art form. Max and Alec are fighting side by side with Sander, staying closely together so neither of them get hurt. As for Penny, she joined her mother and used her semblance to help seal up the hole the train made so no more Grimm can enter the city.

As for the final person, he is a man that makes me nervous and I honestly do not want to fight him any time soon. He has on a thick green chest plate, camouflage colored pants and is carrying enough guns and bullets to outclass almost any military official I've ever seen. Not that I've seen many. Even Ruby stopped fighting in order to gaze, star-struck, at the sheer variety and sophistication of the weapons he's got on him. Her moment of hesitation nearly got her attacked by another Ursa, but I punched it in the stomach, which flew backwards and crashed into the ground.

"You're late. Again." Port said, obvious annoyance in his voice.

"Aw, why so serious, ****-brick? I'm here, and you're here, so now it's OUR time to start cooking those chimichangas and kill these asshats." He answers with a wistful tone. Wait, what did he just say to a teacher? Then he grabbed 2 large machine guns that he had strapped onto his shoulders and laughed like a madman as he waved his blazing guns around, mowing Grimm down at the fastest rate I've ever seen in my life. In the distance, I notice that odd trio, Mercury, Emerald, and Cinder also fighting the Grimm.

What makes me a little suspicious is that Cinder is fighting with a grace that could put Uncle Qrow to shame, something that no normal person her age can do at her age.

Then my line of thought shatters harder than a dagger hitting a mirror when my 40th Beowulf slashes at me and I barely dodge the attack. But my sight tints red when I notice a single lock of the blonde hair cut and fall to the ground. Roaring in fury, while I keep the true anger at bay so the Dark Side doesn't get any funny ideas, I use my boosted super strength to fight the last of the Grimm in the area much harder than I did before.

They never stood a chance against me or my fists.

* * *

 **=TIME SKIP=**

* * *

Hours later, teams RWBY and SPAM are sitting together at the edge of Beacon's grounds, watching the sun set over the still-smoking city as Bullheads and Atlesian Knights cleaned up the damage caused and finished off the remaining Grimm. As a bonus, Roman Torchwick had been captured and is in Atlesian custody at the moment.

"You know, I think we'll get extra credit for saving Vale today." Ruby says optimistically.

Weiss has a doubtful look on her face. "After the damage done today? I wouldn't count on it."

"We should at least get extra credit for being with Boomstick on our mission. He's a million times more unbearable than any history subject Oobleck obsesses about." Max mumbles, loud enough for all of us to hear it. Team SPAM nodded their heads so vigorously in agreement that I was worried they would get whiplash.

"Boomstick?" I ask, confused. "Who's…" Then it hit me like a train run by criminals, and I swear there's a pun in there. I almost shudder that guy with the blazing guns and called Port a '****-brick'. "Please don't tell me that crazy psychopath who waved those guns around like he was drunk was Boomstick." I said. Their shadowed faces was all the answer I needed. Instantly, my want to slap Sander for leaving us to Oobleck the way he did melts away.

"What kind of name is Boomstick, anyway?" Weiss demands, still scared as she remembers the fighting psychopathic man all too well.

"Apparently, he was named Boomstick because of his family's obsession of guns that makes Ruby look incompetent." Sander replies, still looking rattled. Unlike the rest of us, he's standing several feet back, leaning against a tree. I understand what that's about; Sander told me of his high anxiety issues a while back. Admittedly, he's gained a control over it since coming here, but still doesn't want to take any chances.

"Hey!" Ruby protests, blushing a little at the comment.

"You know, he reminds me of the action figures I just got out, based off of my comic book hero, Lawerence Legstrong." Alec comments. During the week, team SPAM had unloaded more of their stuff so they could make the dorm truly feel like home away from home. Alec's most prized possession is his vast collection of action figures that he uses to decorate his work desk, as well as his own music set. Only problem: He likes disco music. The battle between Sander's rock 'n roll and Alec's disco is nearly driving most our neighbors into hysterics, such as team CRDL, who are all already dubbing their infamous debate the 'Battle of the Bands.' That change, along with Penny having decks of various cards and board games in a trunk under neath of her bed which we sometimes play in our room on a folding table in the closet or with our friends, Max has hardwired his bed so now no one could prank him ever again (Penny and Sander had put plastic scorpions into Max's bed. Boy, was he angry about that), and having a retractable, built in screen next to the bed so he can watch movies, and Sander tying it all together by dedicating half the provided bookshelf in the far left corner of the room to his textbooks and immense collection of Madness magazine issues, some manga books as well and even has 3 pictures on the left wall, them being a large limited edition poster of Supra-1000 and all the other characters from Immortal Warfare 2* that takes up a chunk of the wall next to the bookcase, a poster of one of the best rock bands from Vacuo, despite their horrendous name. Seriously, who names their band Sex Swing? Finally, centered on the wall and a good distance from the 2 posters that hang next to the bookcase is a painting of the vast Atlas landscape from the top of a mountain given to him by Jacques Schnee's wife the day he left to train at this Academy as a token of gratitude for helping her family all those years. I have to admit, it looks really nice, painted by a master.

"So, what do you say we get rested up? The Vytal Festival is nearly upon us, after all." Sander suggests, breaking the brief silence.

"You know, I like that idea." I agree, yawning a little to boot.

But when we got up and made to leave for the dorms, a familiar voice rings out around me. _"The time has come. Come to the Emerald Forest for the next Jedi Trial."_ Qui-Gon's voice said.

I look over at Sander, and I know instantly he heard it as well. "Hey guys. I just remembered something me and Sander have to do. We'll see you guys later." I said. Sander quickly nodded and the 2 of us ran off, leaving behind our baffled teammates.

"You do realize that we'll have to tell them what we've been up to together every Saturday eventually." Sander chided me.

I shrug in response and we just keep on going. Eventually, we launch ourselves back into the forest and followed the Force's prompting, which wanted us to go back to the clearing with the ruins and 2 boulders in the middle once again.

Once we make it into the clearing and sit down on the boulders, only for a man to appear from out of the woods. He is wearing cream-colored robes under a long brown cloak, with long brown hair and sharp grey eyes. This must be Qui-Gon in his human form! _"You know, you both make good timing. Now prepare yourselves mentally and physically. For this next task, you will need to fight without weapons or Aura."_

* * *

 _AN:_ Well, that's a wrap!

I know you're probably mad about how everyone is coping with the secrets that surrounded Max and Alec. Well, don't worry. They'll act like regular teenagers, not warriors.

As for Alec's split personality issue, THAT will be completely solved in due time. That I can promise. How it happens, just wait and see.

*It might be really farfetched, but I created a spoof of sorts of Mortal Kombat. It is be the sequel to the game Qrow played with his nieces early on in Volume 3.

I'll see you all next time!

Thanks for supporting this story!

I greatly appreciate it!


	22. Chapter 21: The Trial of Instinct

**Sander Blanco's POV:**

I couldn't help but feel extremely nervous. If I heard Qui-Gon right, we can't use our weapons! Is he out of his damn mind?

 _"I know that such a thing sounds almost impossible, but don't lose faith. Your objective isn't to fight directly. For this trial, you must survive for an hour with only the Force and your wits. But be warned, this task is quite dangerous."_ Qui-Gon said.

Despite a small lump forming in my throat, I nod a little. "All right. No one's going to call me a chicken today, or ever. So let's do this." I respond, sounding a bit more confident than I actually feel. Yang can tell I'm not as confident as I let on, but smiled at the bold words.

 _"Very well, then. Get on the rocks and let the living Force embrace you, set the stage for you. Good luck."_ With that final statement, we walk towards the boulders and sit cross-legged. Closing my eyes, I feel the raw power of the Force encase me like a cocoon. After about 15 seconds, I open my eyes again.

Only to witness a completely different scene.

We are still in the Emerald Forest, but the sky is a steel grey and it's snowing heavily, although the trees are holding up most of the snow that's coming down. I look to my left, and notice Yang also here, awake, and scanning our surroundings. "OK. So we're back in the Emerald Forest. We need to survive for an hour AND we have no idea what's going to try and kill us. Got any bright ideas, Hot Shot?" Yang asked.

I stare at her confused, while also bringing back all the knowledge I have of this place. After a few seconds, an idea clicks in. "I don't know where that nickname came from, but we can argue about nicknames later. If this is a perfect resemblance of the Emerald Forest, then we go to the northwest until we reach some cliffs. There, we'll find some caves and get some shelter from this ice and hold out." I said quickly. Already I heard a roar far off in the distance.

Yang looked at me confused. "How makes you so sure they're there?"

I gave Yang a toothy grin at the chance of a teasing point. "I heard about Jaune and Pyrrha's Initiation, where they found a closed off cave in that direction. The one that had a sleeping DeathStalker. But of course you would know that too if you had paid attention to any of the stories team JNPR has to offer."

Yang looked shocked, then mad about being teased like that. But before we can argue on, a Beowulf ran out of the forest and tried to slash at us. Thankfully, we dodge the attack and immediately begin running off into the woods. We run about 100 meters when the Force warns me about another incoming danger. I duck and Yang jumps, a familiar blast flying past us. I get up and look behind, only to feel my heart sink. A large army of both Grimm and Battle droids are barreling towards us!

"Yang, whatever you do, don't stop!" I shout to her. Only nodding in response, we keep on running.

After another 100 meters, 5 Droidekas roll out on either side, but we use overpowered Force Pushes to send them flying into the trees. "What are you, chicken?" All 5 of them ask at the same time as we pass by.

While it didn't faze me on the outside, on the inside I am shouting some rather nasty curses at Qui-Gon Gin for using my own words against me like that. A second later, a loud screeching noise shakes the trees all around, making a ton of snow fall to the ground. We both stop running and look up to see the most unusual monster I've ever seen. It is a humongous black bird like creature with purple tribal markings on it that are different from the markings on the Grimm. It has a tight, grey…necklace thing around its neck? As well as glowing yellow eyes that radiate power that only a Sith Lord can attain.

With this kind of bird, the only chance we have at getting away is to ride the thing. My memories drift back to the Clone Wars and I remember a Force technique that might help. To my surprise, Yang had a similar, yet totally different train of thought. Using the Force, she runs towards one of the trees and jumps high into the air to where she grabbed one of the wings and hauled herself onto the monster's back. Concentrating with the Force, I create a glowing yellow metal chain with a sharp metal tip in my hands and throw it up. As I hoped, the chain impaled itself into the monster, which roared in fury and shot a beam of raw dark power at me, tearing the ground apart. But with my now heightened senses, I run across the ground and the tree trunks while shortening the length of the chain, pulling me close enough and giving me enough momentum so I am allowed to dissolve my Force chain and still grab onto the beast's wing. This monster did not like being treated like this, as it thrashed around wildly.

"Hang on!" Yang shouted and pulled the grey part at the base of the beast's neck towards the right. When I see what Yang has in mind, I wonder what screws are loose in her head.

No sooner did the thought hit my mind, did the Grimm-like creature slam into the Cliff side, driving its head into the wall. The rest of the body fell against the wall, allowing us to slide off and onto the ground. To my amazement, the cave is right in front of us. "See, I told you I'd get us here." She smirked and ran inside. I follow closely behind, wondering when Yang ever said that.

The inside of the cave is dark and echoes easily. We turn around, and nothing came at us, surprisingly. "I think we lost them." Yang whispered, which didn't matter as her voice echoed around the room.

But then a different voice rang out. "You should have turned to the darkness. That is where vengeance is attained. Vengeance against those who have wronged you." A soft, female voice rang out. We turn around and see 2 women. One who looks similar to Yang, only this person's got black hair that's reminiscent of feathers and deep red eyes. But the other woman creeped me out. This woman has really long white hair, tied back into an unusual hair style, with deathly pale skin, and black robes with a cloak billowing around her. But the haunting feature is her red eyes surrounded by black pupils and black blood veins around the eyes.

"Mom?" Yang asked, looking at the black-haired woman. I nearly choke on my spit when I heard that. That woman is Yang's mother?!

"If you won't follow us, then you won't follow any path." Yang's mom said and drawing her red sword, charged at us. The other woman laughed manically and also ran at us, her hands glowing with red energy.

Channeling the Force around me into my hands, I form boxing gloves of sorts and begin attacking. Yang went after the white-haired woman. Despite our efforts, we are pushed back a little. "Swap positions!" I said to Yang, who understood instantly. I went after the white haired woman, barely dodged a blast of energy that vaporized the rocks on the right wall and give her a punch to the face.

She reeled a little from the blow, but stayed up and charged again. She then thrust her hands forward and I dodged to the right, taking her arm and using momentum to throw her onto the ground. Once she began falling, the world around me began going in slow motion and our 2 opponents dissolved into smoke and everything went black.

I fought to regain my sight for a few seconds before it returned. I look down and notice that I am still in a meditative position, albeit with cold sweat on my face. Yang gasped for air, also looking tired.

 _"My, my, my. Congratulations. You pass once again. You shall become true Jedi sooner than you realize. I shall see you both next weekend. When the dust has settled, of course."_ Qui-Gon said, before his body disappears before our very eyes.

I really didn't like his last sentence or part of the trial, but push it away for the time being. I just can't shake the absurd feeling of familiarity I got while fighting that white-haired woman. Me and Yang get up and stretch a little. "Well, I can now say I've had enough excitement for one day." She said. Then looked at me. "Thanks for having my back against those two."

"Of course. I'd do it again in a heartbeat." I reply and pull her into a tight hug.

Once we separate a little, Yang looks up, right into my eyes. "So…do you want to just stop beating around the bush and officially say we're in love?" she asked curiously.

I nod in response, although blushing rather heavily from embarrassment. Judging by Yang's red face, she feels the same way. "Sure. So, would you like to go out with me sometime?" I whisper quietly and we pull apart.

"Yes." Yang responds, kissing me on the cheek and then head back to the Academy. With our awakening connection to the Force, making it up the cliffs and back to the dorms is easy.

When we make it back, I wish Yang a good night and walk into the dorm room and close the door behind me. Only to see the one thing I didn't want to happen. My entire team is awake and staring at me like one would stare at a statue at a museum.

Oh, snap.

"Where have you been for the past hour or so?" Max demanded, breaking the awkward silence forming.

I rub the back of my head sheepishly, but before I can get anything out, Penny intervened. "You've been acting like this every Saturday for weeks and always going with Yang Xiao Long. That brings up the big questions: What have you been doing and are you and Yang finally dating?" Penny asked that last question with glee and Alec groaned a little, but quieted down so he could hear anything else said. Apparently, judging by their reactions, it's common knowledge me and Yang are closer than normal partners.

I sigh and lower my head in defeat. There is no escaping this situation. "Alright, I'll talk about it. You remember me talking about the Jedi and the Force? Well, me and Yang who I learned is also Force-Sensitive, got in contact with an old ghost from my old galaxy. Long story short, he's been taking us through the trials so we can become Jedi and really help fight the evil on this planet. As for the last question…" I sigh happily and finish my thought. "Yes. I can honestly say Yang and I are dating."

The rest of my team just stared at me, stunned. Then they all shouted and pulled me into a group hug, to which I joined gladly. To see all their happy faces made me feel ecstatic, like nothing can go wrong in the world.

I wonder how long it will last.

* * *

 _AN:_ Well, that's a wrap, and Sander and Yang are a couple.

As for the giant bird monster, I just got back into my childhood anime show, Yu-Gi-Oh! 5d's, and decided to have Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca in it.

As for the grey thing around its neck, can anyone tell me what it is because I honestly have no idea.

Anyway, see you all next time!

Thanks for all the support, and please leave your thoughts.

Have a great day.


	23. Chapter 22: The Vytal Festival

**Sander Blanco's POV:**

The next morning, I wake up and stretch my numb arms. I look onto my work desk, which is on the left of my bookshelf of magazines and other books, I glance at the built-in clock and stare at it, horrified.

"Wake up, you lazy bums! We overslept AGAIN!" I shout to my stirring teammates, and begin shoving them off their beds for good measure. When I use some more of my strength to push Max off his bed, the defenses he built into his bed activate and I got a red boxing glove to the face. Groaning, I force that stupid defense mechanism back under Max's bed. I swear, it works _too_ well.

"We overslept again? I call dibs on the bathroom!" Penny said, panicked, and after grabbing a green tank top and black puffy pants, she ran into the bathroom and slammed the door.

"What a way to wake up…" Alec grumbled groggily, but we got changed as quickly as possible before Penny got out. I have on my usual blue shirt under a black vest with pockets so I can carry extra ammunition and khaki shorts, along with my blue dust-infused bandana and combat boots. Max has a red T-shirt with a brown military jacket and cargo pants, like the ones Boomstick had on, but these are cream colored, and black running shoes. Finally, Alec is wearing a sleet grey shirt and black jeans, with a yellow baseball cap and those weird kind of shoes where your toes have individual movement, like you're still barefoot. Honestly, the whole concept of those shoes are lost to me.

Once we get through that and our daily cleanup routines, we sprint out the door like we're about to be eaten alive. Thankfully, with our high speed routine, we made it to the mess hall just as teams RWBY and JNPR are arriving and occupying our usual spots.

When we sat down next to teams JNPR and RWBY as usual, with Penny and Alec on JNPR's side, and me and Max next to RWBY. For some reason, Ruby, Weiss and Blake are sending me sideways looks, but not glares or 'I will kill you in your sleep' looks. Rather, they looked happy. But what got me really suspicious is that they were glancing at Yang as well.

"Hey, why are they looking at us like that?" I whisper to Yang after leaning in.

I could almost feel Yang smiling. "My team ambushed me, demanded what we've been up to. The whole truth, even our new relationship. It seems it's common knowledge that we like each other."

That last statement nearly made me blush, but since I have to keep up appearances, I unwillingly force it down. After a nice, healthy breakfast, we are all herded out of the Academy by various staff members. Once on the grounds did we see it. The Amity Coliseum, in all its glory, floated in the air. We all stared up at it in awe.

"Students, please head to the Bullheads, and they will provide transportation to the Amity Coliseum and the long-awaited Vytal Festival can start. For all those who have signed up to participate in the tournament, please note all of the stuff in your lockers have already been moved to the lockers at the Coliseum. Thank you." Glynda's voice said over the loudspeakers.

Following what Glynda said, we file on board to the large number of Bullheads sitting open on all of the docking bays. The 12 of us get on one of said ships and after the thing filled up completely, the ramp closed up and the airship took off, flying towards the floating stadium. Once we land, the ship opens up again and we unload. Since we signed up to participate in the tournament, the 12 of us, along with several others, make our way along the rim and go into a side door. Inside is a narrow corridor with several out coves, filled to the brim with lockers. A tall man in a white suit gave me a key to locker 201. My teammates got lockers 202, 203 and 204, while the others go off to their own lockers. What's weird is that on all 4 of our lockers is another number: 007. We walk down the corridors until we reach the lockers. I open mine up, and inspect it closely. Sure enough, it is a spacious locker that my sword is contained, along with several different cartridges of bullets and energy chews called Stingers. Now those taste amazing and can get my senses skyrocketing. Without taking any of that drug shit I've seen and heard horror stories about. I also notice that in each corner of the locker, nearly hidden from sight, are the pieces of my specially modified battle armor that I spent many hours upgrading and altering so it became tougher than the garbage the clones worse.

After telling Ozpin about my armor and its enhancing, he decided to show me a way to hide it in my locker so I wouldn't need 2 lockers for everything anymore, since my renting bill is getting a little outrageous.

"Hunters and Huntresses, welcome to this year's Vytal Festival Tournament," Port's voice rang out in the locker room. "My name is Professor Peter Port and this is Professor Port of Beacon, and we will be the announcers. Now, the first round will be beginning shortly. For how this tournament works, in the first round, all 4 members of team will fight. The second round will have the 2 best members representing the team, and the final round will have the best and most cunning warrior represent not only his team, but his kingdom. In a few minutes, the first fight will take place. I shall call out a number, and if a team has said number, they will go to each end of the stadium and await further instructions. Good luck."

I stare down at the ground, contemplating this new information. I close my locker, and am about to leave when Dr. Oobleck's voice made an entrance. "To avoid confusion, we will be selecting who will fight first via roulette." Suddenly, a large hologram appeared and it begins spinning like crazy. After a few seconds, the number stopped.

What did it pick? 007, of fucking course.

Cursing under my breath and feeling nervous for the first time today, I make a mad dash back to our lockers, opening mine up with my secret password, grab my sword and after turning it into my shotgun and making sure it's full, I turn it back into my sword and put spare bullets into the pockets of my vest. I will only use my battle armor when absolutely necessary. My instincts are telling me that something bad is going to happen, and if that's true, I'll need all the surprises I can pull. After I'm satisfied, I close my locker.

"You guys ready?" I ask. My teammates voice their agreements, looking eager and slightly anxious at the same time.

"Let's roll." Max declared, sheathing his swords onto each side and putting on a sleek blue helmet shaped like the Atlesian soldier's helmets, but with a red visor covering his eyes so as to help improve his vision. He bought that when we went on a shopping spree to get ourselves different equipment to give us an edge for the fight. The only reason Max didn't have it when we went on our mission a few days ago is that the thing was not only expensive, but custom-made so it took a while. In fact, it just came in the mail yesterday.

When we're ready, we follow the purple arrows towards one of the entrances. Before I can go too far, Yang caught my right arm. "Good luck." She said, flashing me a warm smile.

I can only nod in agreement, gulping down my growing anxiety for a second, before we wind our way through the narrow corridors and come to the double doors that will lead us onto the arena. "And now! Let us begin the first fight of the tournament!" Suddenly, the doors swung outwards and we walk side by side onto the metal arena. All around us, the crowds went wild and are cheering loudly for us.

We step onto the field, opposite from…team CRDL? What a dramatic start.

"Our first contestants are both from Beacon Academy. It is the rugged team CRDL against the formidable team SPAM." Oobleck announced to the crowds, who cheered some more before it dies down.

"Now, we shall set the fields. Let the roulette go!" Port added. On each of the 4 corners of the stadium, more projections appeared and after several seconds, they all landed on the same thing: Ruined City.

A second later, the panels on the stadium floor slid apart and the new biomes slid into place. "The field is set. May the best team win! On your mark, get set, GO!" Oobleck shouted that last part.

All at once, the 8 of us charge at each other. I take on Cardin, and while he is much stronger physically than me, and he's been actually training so he isn't as predictable as he once was, I still managed to use my speed and Cardin's momentum against him, sticking my sword into his mace and yanking it in the opposite direction to pull it out of his hands. Dodging a punch the brute sends at me, I transform my sword and fire a round of shotgun bullets into Cardin's face and sending him several yards away. Using the Force as a second set of eyes, I notice on the board hanging overhead that the close round took out a huge chunk of Cardin's aura, but enough to keep him in the game.

Suddenly, a buzzer rings out and out of the corner of my eye, I notice Max standing over an unconscious Russel Thrush with both swords in hand. Cardin takes my split pause and charges at me, fists raised. I sidestep the charging bully, grabbing his right arm that tried to hit me and throw him to my right, and using a small amount of the Force, I punch him in the back of the neck while he's still on the ground. He collapses once again, and doesn't get back up.

The buzzer rings once more, immediately followed by another one. I turn around this time, and see a scared Dove Bronzewing, surrounded by us with nearly full auras. The poor guy never stood a chance, especially with Penny delivering the final blow with a giant wooden hammer that she conjured up, and slammed him into one of the destroyed buildings.

The 4th and final buzzer went off. "The first match is done! Team SPAM is victorious and will be competing in the doubles round!" Port shouted.

The crowds cheered loudly for us as we walked off the stage, waving to the crowds all the way. Soon, we made it back into the locker room. Team RWBY waved at us. "Thatwassoawesome!" Ruby said, really fast as usual.

Weiss and Blake merely nodded in agreement, smiling. But Yang hugged me really tightly. "Thanks for the favorites, but could you loosen your grip? I think my spleen is about to be ruptured." I joke.

Yang immediately let go but still gave a grin. "You all did great out there. I think team CRDL will think twice about fighting you again."

But before they could go on, Oobleck's voice filled the room. "Now, for the 2nd fight of the day." The hologram appeared in the center once again, and began spinning with everyone watching intently.

After a few seconds, it stopped on number 008. "Well, we're up. Get ready, girls." Ruby said, then dashed down the hall to their lockers. Weiss and Blake also left with Yang following behind.

"You can do this." I call out, and the 4 of us stop by our lockers to put our gear up before heading to the seats to watch the upcoming matches.

* * *

 **=Hours later=**

* * *

Today has been a great day for us at the Tournament. Teams RWBY and JNPR also defeated their opponents easily and are now onto the doubles round. Heck, even Team SSSN managed to win. Even though I won't admit it out loud, I found Neptune's reaction to the water stage quite comical.

After several hours of teams fighting each other, we are back on the familiar Bullhead and we flew back to Beacon Academy.

When we touched down, we slowly trudged through the courtyard back to the dorms. "Well, it's lights out now. See you guys tomorrow." Alec said, before yawning heavily. The he walked right into our dorm, and flopped onto his bed. Penny and Max quickly followed suite.

Most of Team RWBY also entered their dorm and went to get changed. Soon, it's just me and Yang in the hallway. "Well, see you in the morning." Yang said. I pulled her into a brief hug then went to my dorm, and after changing into my own pajamas, fall asleep as well.


	24. Chapter 23: Winter Schnee and a Mystery

_**Edited briefly: 18/05/23**_

* * *

**Sander Blanco's POV:**

The next morning, all 4 of us got up at a decent hour, which is unusual for us teenagers, but welcome nonetheless.

Getting out of bed quickly, I get the even rarer privilege of having first dibs on the bathroom, since Penny wakes up first. When I walk out, I have put on a white shirt and black running shorts with blue stripes on. Suddenly, the sound of thumping feet came to my attention. Someone is running in the halls, and judging by how fast the feet are hitting the ground, said person is running really fast.

I sprint to the door and open it to see who's running, and to my shock, Weiss ran right past me, Ruby hot on her heels. "OK, seriously. What's going on?" I ask Ruby while we chase Weiss through the halls and to my surprise, towards the docking bays.

"I don't know. She got some mail on her scroll a few minutes ago and this is the result." Ruby explained, but I could barely understand what she because she said it all so fast. But it definitely got me curious. Especially when I noticed that a really fancy ship beginning to touch down on the docking bay before us, the Schnee Dust Company emblem on the side.

"What's going on? Who's on board that ship?" Ruby asked once we caught up to Weiss, who stopped and watched the hatch open up.

"Winter!" Weiss shouted to the ship. My eyes widen in shock when I hear that name, but I manage a smile at seeing her again. After I rescued Weiss from a…rather unpleasant predicament when I was 8, the family took me in and it was Winter who helped train me to be the fighter I am today. Sure enough, Winter stepped out, flanked by six Atlesian Knights.

"Wait, your sister?" Ruby asked, also genuinely surprised.

Winter walked towards us, and actually cracked a smile. "Hello Weiss, Sander. I have heard that you both have been doing really well here. That's good." She said, then turned to Ruby. "You must be Ruby Rose. I have heard great things about you. And I thank you for taking an interest in my sister and my former pupil. But excuse me for feeling…underwhelmed for thinking you were something else."

I mentally groan at that. Winter may mean well, but she can lose tact at times and say things that can really piss off a lot of people. Which only paints her a larger target for bounty hunters and the like on her back. Ruby then started talking again at a fast rate, but Winter just walked right past her and walked towards the Academy, flanked from the front and behind by her Knights. We follow behind her. We are about halfway to the Academy when a tall man with black hair, red eyes and a long coat came up from behind and smashed one of the Knight's heads off. Oh, is he in trouble.

"That's my Uncle Qrow!" Ruby exclaimed silently to us when she joined us on the sidelines; so we can avoid the upcoming fight.

"I figured you and Ironwood would turn your backs on Ozpin one of these days. Bringing a fleet of soldiers with you just proves it. So tell me, why are you here?" the man asked, standing his ground.

'So this is how Yang and Ruby got their reckless habits when I first met them. Man, he is brave and drunk.' I think incredulously, noticing the hip flask at his side.

Winter growled at Qrow's words. "If you won't hold that tongue, then I will just have it cut it out." She growled, unsheathing her sword and pointing it at him.

Qrow scoffed and unsheathed his own blade. "Oh, this will be fun." He said, and Winter charged at her opponent. Since I was trained in sword combat by Winter, I know firsthand how talented she is. But to my amazement, Qrow easily dodged each attack, then retaliated. We all just stare at the scene, amazed. Even I am sure I haven't reached that level of natural skill yet, without the Force of course.

"Go Qrow!" Ruby was cheering to cheer her Uncle on, while Weiss is shouting,

"Put him in his place, Winter." Without knowing what side to take without getting hurt, I just remain silent and stare at the scene in awe. Soon, Winter came crashing to the ground, creating a massive crater in the process. Qrow just stood off to the side, sheathing his blade.

"I haven't had a fight that good in a long time." He said. Ironwood, with the orange-haired Penny behind him, walked up towards the 2 combatants.

"I told you not to fight anyone while you're here." Ironwood said sternly, then turned to Qrow. "And you. What are you doing here?"

"I could be asking you the same thing." Qrow responded.

But before Ironwood has a chance to respond, the cracked ground suddenly reformed, and we look to our right, where Ozpin stood with Glynda at his side. Glynda didn't look happy at all, while Ozpin just took a sip from his mug and looked around calmly.

"You are all dismissed. But I would like to add that there is a sanction fight happening just around the corner of the Coliseum. Also, the doubles round is occurring in a few hours, so I would recommend getting yourselves prepared for the tournament." Ozpin said. The crowd dispersed immediately, but I notice a familiar mop of grey hair. Mercury Black is in the crowd. Most likely observing the fight as well.

Before they could head to the Academy, Ruby ran to her Uncle and literally hung onto his arm, asking if he really missed her. He said that he did miss her, ruffled her hair a little, gave her a fist bump and "Later, kiddo." And headed up to the Academy.

"Suddenly, your recklessness makes sense." Weiss said, walking up next to her. Then she noticed Winter waving her over, and she went off.

"Well, I'm going back to my dorm to see if my lazy friends are finally awake." I tell Ruby, and head off to my dorm. Sure enough, my teammates are already up and dressed.

"Where have you been?" Penny asked, suspiciously.

"My trainer, Winter Schnee, arrived a while ago. Weiss was alerted and I chased her all the way to the Docking Bay." I respond honestly.

The rest of my teammates look at each other, caught off-guard by such an unexpected response. Then they look at me again. "Alright, cut the crap. There's no way you were trained by the Winter Schnee." Alec said, surprising all of us since he rarely cursed.

I smile. "Just ask Weiss, she'll tell you the same thing. Now, I'll just have a small breakfast. You guys run along." I add, and head to our closet and I get 2 peanut butter-filled granola bars. After chowing them down and my teammates head to the Great Hall for breakfast, I pull out a Madness magazine issue off the shelf and read it on my bed. It's truly interesting, and this one isn't like the one Boomstick read. That one made a spoof on a book called 'Ninjas of Love' which in my opinion is utter filth.*

Just as I am on the last page of the magazine issue, grinning like a madman and crying from laughing at how outrageous Mad can get, I get a ding on my Scroll. Curious, I pick it up and read the text. It's from Yang. 'Hey. My uncle Qrow is here, and he heard of our relationship. He would like to meet you.'

Oh, dear. Squaring my shoulders and taking a deep breath, I walk out of my dorm and walk to the one on our immediate left. I softly knock on the door. "Come in." Qrow's voice said on the other side. Opening the door, I walk in, and sure enough, Qrow is sitting in front of a video game, with Yang next to him and Ruby on the bed. They are all looking at me.

"Um…hi. I saw your match earlier today, mister, and I can tell that you gave my mentor a real run for her money." I said, thinking that if he is anything like Boomstick, he'd like talking about fights, big guns, and women.

Qrow raised an eyebrow at that. "Winter taught you some moves? You have friends in high places. But I have heard many things about you, and I just wanted to see you in person." He said, watching me closely. I realized that Qrow is watching me to see whether or not I would hurt his nieces. I made me happy that he loves them a lot.

"Well, ta-da. Since I see that you're busy, I'll just…" I pause when I notice what game they are playing. "Wait, you play that game, too? I haven't been beaten on that game. Ever." I honestly said, looking at the fighting game that's playing.

Qrow raised his eyebrows higher. "My, are you confident. Let's test that theory, shall we?" he said, throwing me a controller.

I grab it, and get myself comfortable before we start the round. I have to hand it to Qrow, he knows what he's doing. But I could tell when he is about to attack judging by character sprites, and block when it happens and follow up with my own attacks.

Within minutes, Qrow is defeated. He and the girls just stare at me, amazed. "Whoa, you are pretty good." He remarked. Then he stood up. "So, aside from being great at video games, what else do you do?"

I think about it for a few minutes. "Well, I like to give people memorable fights, cracking strange jokes due to my many years of being a subscriber to the brainless Madness magazine series, and love listening to rock 'n roll so I can not only make myself more relaxed, but also drive my teammates nuts. Particularly Alec and his absurd notion that his disco music is better. Other than that, nothing really."

Qrow's eyebrows rose to the point where they nearly hit his hair. Ruby and Yang giggle a little at that, knowing everything I said is true. "Wow. You've got interesting tastes, but I can tell that you have your heart in the right place, and you aren't deathly prideful or a complete wacko. Now, I would love to stick around and continue chatting, but I have to go. Later." With that, Qrow got up and walked out of the room. I just look at the last 2 people in the room.

"I think I am just going to relax until the doubles round comes. See you two later." I tell them, and walk out the door as well. Yang just waved, but looked down a little. She seems lost in thought. I should ask her what's wrong later.

* * *

 **=TIME SKIP=**

* * *

After our break, the doubles round of the Vytal Festival went underway. We are back at the Coliseum and already in our gear that we wore last match. The roulettes went off, and to my surprise, me and Penny are going first again. Like last time, we head to the corner and waited for a few minutes before the doors opened.

We walk out to be assaulted by the cheering crowds, urging us to win. "Now to kick off the Doubles rounds! Our roulettes have selected Sander Blanco and Penny Goodwitch of SPAM to represent Vale, to fight the team of tacticians, Red Standrews and Alexis Parker of Team RAFE, who represent Vacuo today!" Port shouted, only for the cheers to resume, louder than before. I size up our opponents, whom I saw actually fight in the final match of the first round. They aren't physically impressive, but that doesn't make them any less of a threat. Red is about average height, auburn hair, a pointed chin and is wearing black googles so I can't see his eyes. He is wearing a red shirt under a silver body suit, and has what looks like a giant gas tank on his back and pipes on either side for a quick grab. As for Alexis, she is a few inches shorter than Red, and she has short spiky black hair with light blue eyes. Her attire is a black tank top, regular black pants, a pair of brown, advanced-looking metal bracelets on her wrists, with the veins on her arms being black, and rather large running shoes. She has a pair of curved daggers strapped to her hips, but I something tells me she has something else waiting for us.

"Now is the moment. Time to select what biome these duos will be fighting in." Oobleck added, then the field biome symbols appeared and selected an interesting combination: Forest and Volcanic.

"The field is set. May the best team win. Begin!" Port shouted that last sentence at the top of his lungs. The four of us charge at each other. To my surprise, the girl threw her daggers and made an odd hand gesture with both her hands: all her fingers are closed into a fist except her index finger and pinky. Then to my amazement, a blue web shot out and it took a lot of speed to dodge it, especially when the webbing stuck to the daggers and she swung them around. But while I dodged the attacks, Red came up on me and punched me in the side. I slide away from him, but instantly get up.

Assessing the situation, I notice that Alexis must be a Spider Faunus and Red grabbed the tubes on the sides and is sending waves of red fire that Penny, who is barely hanging on. An idea clicked in my mind. 'Fire…' I muse, then grin.

I get up and charge at Red, who swerved his flames coming out of the gas tank to me. Using my semblance, I create my own wave of light red fire and the two flames fly towards each other. The two flames collide with each other, blinding Red from the flash of light while I sprint forward, knowing my semblance's side effect, fire immunity, will keep me safe. But to my surprise, I sense a punch coming towards me from Alexis, and I just barely duck in time. That gives Red enough time for try and torch me again, but I quickly close the distance between us, and give him a solid punch in the balls. The crowd groans while Red whimpers in pain. While he's hunched over, I whip out Star Blaster from my back and turn it into shotgun mode before firing it in his face. The force of the attack sends him flying into the volcano area. He tries to get up, but the buzzer rings out. Knowing he's down and out, Red just faints from the pain.

Turning to Alexis, I make a dash at her. While I have to admit she has excellent agility and those webs have Penny all tangled up, she is too erratic and is leaving her back open to attack too much. Using that to my advantage, I swing my sword at her back, and sent her flying. But to my amazement, she just put her fingers onto one of the trees, and swung around until she is running at me. Ducking under the punch, I grab her arm and send her into the ground. "Now!" I shout to Penny. She understood instantly and used her semblance to conjure up a metal hammer that she slammed into Alexis.

The buzzer rang out a second time. "The match has come to a smashing close. Team SPAM shall be moving onto the Finals of the Festival!" Port shouted to the stunned and roaring crowds. We walk off the stage and into the locker rooms while the medics haul Red and Alexis off. Me and Penny talk with each other and agree that she should represent all of us in the Finals. We walk out of the locker room, and are greeted by my other teammates and friends. Yang congratulated me the most, but she looks distant. I pull her into a tight hug.

"Is there something wrong?" I ask softly in her ear. She looked at me, a mixed look of surprise and sadness.

"Yes. That guy you were fighting, Red Standrews; He is an ex-boyfriend. He was a good guy, but if I'm being perfectly honest, he was also a bit of an asshole to everyone else. He dumped me pretty hard over the Scroll after his family moved to Vacuo. To see him now, I just don't know what to think." She says. Ruby looked at her, and I could tell she also knew what is going on.

I stare at her in absolute surprise and some anger, grateful that I didn't know who broke Yang's heart. If I did learn about it before the fight... well, let's just say he won't be having any kids in his life. "It's OK. I understand what it is like to see an old face after many years, and if you need any help, please don't hesitate to ask." I whisper, knowing that this is the right thing to do. I would know how to handle this; I went through the same thing with that no-good bitch Angela years ago.

She just looks up and gives me a wide smirk. Together, we walk towards our seats in the stands and watch as the day comes and goes before us.

Next up are the representatives of Team CFVY against Mercury and Emerald. Those 2, including Cinder and that black haired, green eyed mute girl still make me uneasy, so I've subtly been watching them.

The fight went back and forth for a long time, until Mercury knocks Yatsuhashi into a spout spewing up steam, knocking him out of the match. As I observe the last 2 combatants, I feel something odd about Coco. I reach my senses out to her to figure out what's wrong. To my surprise, I saw Yatsuhashi running towards Coco, then a second later, he's gone. The second Coco's back is turned, Emerald raised one of her knives and sent her flying out. Her aura drained too low and the buzzer went off. Team CFVY is out.

'OK, so the second Coco turns her back to Emerald, she takes victory. That is not a coincidence.' I think to myself as I stare down at the field. Judging by how it only hit Coco, Emerald has some sort of hallucination semblance. I'll keep that in mind.

Several more matches went down before the big one happened. Yang and Weiss fighting against some…jazz musicians from Atlas? The two sides fought very hard, but I cheered for Team RWBY's members, since it really got me irked when the musicians said some pretty offensive things to Weiss before the fight happened. Fortunately, when Yang's Jedi training and her semblance kicked in, their opponents no longer stood a chance. First, Yang punched the musical instrument out of the jazz man's hands and knocked him into the ruins biome, then she used a lot of momentum to knock his partner out of beat, and ultimately defeated her before she could recover.

Fortunately, the musicians quickly apologized for their earlier words and the 2 opponents walked off stage and away from the crowds that have clapped for so long, I'm surprised their hands haven't fallen off.

Soon, we are heading towards the Bullhead and get some much needed rest. Tomorrow night, the Finals will kick off. "Yang, that was easily the best fight I have seen you do here in the Tournament." I tell her, holding her hand. I smiled at that, but yawned from exhaustion. Once we get back, the head towards the Mess Hall, where we have the simple dinner of mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans and chicken-fried steak that tasted downright fantastic. Southern styles always sat with me the easiest. Once we have had our fill of that meal, we head back to our dorms, exchange some "Good night." Then we walk into our dorms, get changed into our night clothes, then get some sleep. I have half a bottle of hard apple cider just because it tastes so good, then lay on by bed.

But by the time 11 pm rolled around, I am still up and staring at the ceiling. Something isn't sitting right with me. I can sense that Emerald's semblance will be used soon and not in a good way. I'm also worried about whether I'm just paranoid, or Cinder and her team really are up to something. But I reminded myself, if they are up to something, me and my friends will take them on together.

After that thought, I finally get out of bed, and grab the disk for an album called _Sex von Shaukel Boyz_ by perhaps the most legendary rock 'n roll artist of all times, Adam and the Haus of Fun. There are other rock bands on Remnant I love listening to, such as Morph Ball and Salt Oak 14, but Adam and the Haus of Fun are simply the best; and I even got to meet them in person after their tour. It was so awesome. After I put the disk into a CD player on my desk and press the play button on the side, I crawl back under my covers and fall asleep with a smile on my face while 'Buff Huskies' is playing in the background.

Truly great, though they aren't as good as the other music set I own.

* * *

 _AN:_ Longest chapter yet!

*RWBY Chibi Episode 1 reference, in case you didn't get it.

**In case you're wondering, this will be Remnant's version of Rooster Teeth channels; they are pretty awesome.

I know that there is no Team RAFE on the show (unless the team name is introduced in Volume 4, which is highly doubtful), so I only included them in more as fillers for Sander and Penny to fight without messing up the canon fight setups. Besides, I doubt they will ever appear again.

Also, you might be saying, "I jumped the shark again! Alexis is based off of Spider-Man too much! Red is inspired from a compilation of characters!"

Well, I fit it in since I realized that almost every RWBY character is inspired off of another character or real life person. Like Yang Xiao Long is based off of Goldilocks, and Ruby Rose is based off of Little Red Riding Hood, etc. Also, is it just me, or did they base Fox Alistair and Nora Valkyrie off of Daredevil and the Mighty Thor, respectively, from Marvel comics?

Anyway, I thank you all for reading my story as well as your support, and I hope to update stories as best as I can in the future.

I will see you all next time!


	25. Chapter 24: The BackFiring

**Yang Xiao Long's POV:**

Like the days before, me and my teammates get up, get cleaned up and head down to breakfast.

We didn't see our friends until we got to the Mess Hall, sitting at our usual spots. After a filling breakfast, we spend all day surviving classes, hanging out together with our friends during our homework in the library together. Out of everyone in the group, I easily preferred Sander's company, along with Ruby's. It wasn't hard to tell they liked it as well.

But now, it's time for the finals of the Vytal Festival. As the sun begins setting, the Bullheads come once again and we board them so we can fly to the Coliseum. Once we arrive, the main bulk of our friends went off to get seated for the main event, Penny, Pyrrha and me went off to the locker room to get geared up for the climatic match.

By the time I finish getting my gear together, the buzzer goes off in the locker room and a bunch of arrows light up, pointing towards the entrances. 'It's show time.' I think with determination while I straighten up and make by way towards the entrances to the field. Around me are the other finalists: Pyrrha, Penny, Penny Goodwitch, Sun Wukong, and a few others.

Soon, we make our way out onto the field to meet the roaring crowds all around us. "Here we have the finalists for the Vytal Festival Tournament! They are the representatives of the best teams to fight in the tournament. They have fought long and hard, and now they are ready to see who among you is the toughest. Are we excited?" Port said, shouting the last sentence.

The crowd roared loudly in response. "Well, then, let's not waste another moment. Time to give the roulettes a spin." Oobleck shouted, then the holographic screens appeared and the pictures kept spinning, spinning, spinning until the contestant's profiles appeared.

"An interesting start. Yang Xiao Long of Vale is about to face Mercury Black of Haven." Oobleck shouted. Several people cheered loudly for me, the loudest and most encouraging being Sander, but while I'm happy he's cheering for me, deep down I'm confused. Why was Mercury Black chosen to represent his team?

I mean, I saw his team fights and was impressed by their skill, especially Cinder, and Sander warned me, for if I fought Emerald at all, that she has a hallucination semblance. That's how she got the jump on Coco while her back was turned. Compared to those 2, Mercury doesn't really have anything that stands out.

While I am having those thoughts, I realize the rest of the finalists are walking off the field. I break out of my thoughts, and face Mercury. He is looking at me with a blank look, already getting into a fighting stance. I follow suite. "Now, remember. Once your Aura falls below 10%, you are out. May the best fighter win. Fight!"

Without wasting another second, me and Mercury clash. It is a fight between my fists and his feet. Surprisingly, we are tied evenly before he punches me in the face and kicks me in the stomach. I go flying backwards, but immediately get up. That kick was a lot harder than it should have been, even if it was enhanced by Aura. Subtly, I checked his legs with the Force. To my surprise, I discover that both of his legs are cybernetic and have guns built into them. An interesting combination. But now, I can't toy around anymore. I subtly sink into the Force's embrace, then run at Mercury. I duck under his kick and uppercut him. He has on a look of surprise at the power behind my attack, but like me, he does a back flip in the air, causing him to land right back onto his feet and charge right at me, faster than before.

I need to end this soon, because not only are we evenly matched, but I am not that great with fighting people specializing in kicks. Then I realize something. Mercury, when he kicks, extends his leg out and it stays extended. 'Time to put that break to good use.' I think as a final thought. A second later, Mercury throws a punch at me, to which I dodge. But when he kicks, I grab his leg and swing it past me. While he is flying right by me, I give him another punch to the stomach. The shotgun blast went off and Mercury went sailing away, then crashed to the ground on his back. On the screen above the arena, it showed Mercury's aura dropping into the yellow, borderline orange zone. He groaned slightly, but got up real fast. Changing his tactics up, he shot several dust bullets then ran right at me. I try to dodge the bullets, with a few hitting me, making my aura drop to the yellow zone as well, then Mercury gives a series of punches and kicks that actually hurt a lot. The final kick sends me crashing away. But before Mercury could walk towards me and start again, my semblance kicked in, giving me tons of strength and creating an explosion of fire and making my hair light up like a torch. With it, I run at Mercury, sweep his feet out from under him with a slide technique I've been practicing, then gave him the biggest punch I could muster to his side.

Mercury went crashing down harder than before, but got back onto 1 knee. But before we could continue fighting, the buzzer rang out. "What a fight! But in the end, Yang Xiao Long is victorious and will be fighting again in the finals." Port shouted. The people cheered for me loudly. Apparently, I fought a match that made a lot of people impressed, because the foreign students are also cheering for my victory.

I give a crowd a smile, feeling my blazing hair go out, but then I realize something's wrong. Someone is trying to get into my head. 'Well, I don't think so.' I thought, and use the Force to push the unknown presence out. Mercury got up and began walking towards me. But for some reason, I saw the hint of a smirk on his face. Now I know something's up, so I quickly brushed his mind to see what he's up to, and what I found horrified me.

He wants me to attack him and have me take the fall for him! Also, he, Mercury and Cinder have other plans for the Tournament, and the White Fang is involved. I pull away and walk towards Mercury. I need to warn my friends about this change, but first, I need to completely ruin his plans. When we come up, I take his hand and shake it. "That wasn't a bad fight, Mercury. You're pretty good." I tell him, then let go and turn around and begin to walk away. Mercury has a look of shock, then rage.

"You're not going anywhere, Blondie." Mercury growled, and attacked me from behind. I must say, I didn't expect him to pull that move, but if done correctly, I can really disrupt their end goals. I put on a shocked face, but before I turn around, Mercury kicks me in the back a lot harder than he did in the fight. I go flying and crash onto the ground out of the arena. That attack really strained my lower back, so to add the final touch, I put a little more strain into it, which was just enough to crack my back. I try to get up, but fall back.

"Oh, my back!" I said, then collapse.

Meanwhile, people are booing Mercury and telling him to get lost or calling him scum for attacking me. Knowing that I need some rest, I close my eyes and get a quick rest, knowing that I will be better when I wake up.

* * *

 _AN:_ Yes! Mercury took the fall, not Yang. To be perfectly honest, without the Force of course, I believe this is how that setup should have gone on the canon show. But not the fight. That was cool.

Next time, the invasion shall take its first steps. I can't wait to get to that part of the story, since the coming material is detrimental to the future and this story's prequel.

Anyway, thank you all for the favorites and follows that you have given me. I truly appreciate them.

Please post your thoughts and I will continue doing my best, as well as putting up more stories. One of them I am looking forward to working on is a Harry Potter story based off of Tom Hanks' most famous movies.

I will be seeing you all next time.


	26. Chapter 25: Prelude to an Invasion

**Sander Blanco's POV:**

What in the name of both the Force and Monty Oum just happened?

Everything was normal, but then, before my eyes, I witness Mercury Black attack Yang and break her back. If I hadn't taken Jedi Training, I would have jumped out of my seat and beaten Mercury within an inch of his life. Maybe even torture him, make him beg for mercy before he would be allowed to die. That would be…

I stop my mental rant, shocked by the change in attitude and push those evil feelings aside. Yet I can tell it wasn't the Dark Side, but something else entirely. When I finish my mental battle, I watch the medics put Yang onto a stretcher and hauled her off for healing while 4 Atlesian Knights placed Mercury under arrest. The people are still shouting curses at the jerk as he's hauled off.

"I'm going to the medical wing and make sure she's OK." I tell team CFVY and the rest of my friends, then we get up, walk up to the top and make a mad dash to the bottom level of the Coliseum, where a temporary hospital room is located. I gently open the doors and look around the room that closely resembles Beacon's hospital wing.

Thankfully, the medics have finished doing their work and Yang is on one of the beds, alone. To my sadness, she is laying on her stomach and her back is in a brace. We walk over to the bed and sit down on her left side and place a hand on her shoulder. "Hey." I whisper to her.

Her purple eyes fluttered open and she just stared at me. "Hi." She said back. "So this is what irony feels like." I laugh a little at that comment, along with Ruby. Yup, she is definitely in pretty good shape. "Did they arrest Mercury?"

I could tell everyone was surprised by the question, so I inquired about it. "Yes, they did. Why do you ask? Also, how do you feel?"

Yang frowned a little. "Well, I feel pretty bad right now, but not all of my Aura was drained so I should be better soon. As for why I asked, well, when I had finished mopping the floor with Mercury, I felt someone try and break into my mind. Then when I decided to see Mercury's mind to see if he was affected, I found he wanted me to attack him. I got myself in this situation so I could ruin their plans."

To say I am shocked at what I heard would be an understatement. I could almost feel the shock from my teammates radiating from them. "That is not what I expected to hear tonight." Blake said, her usual monotone gone.

"That means we'll just have to avoid the entire bunch of them until we can figure out what's going on." Max suggested. Leave it to a former soldier to come up with a strategy like that.

"Why don't we just leave Yang be? You know, let her get rested until she can come back to the Academy." Ruby suggested, looking worried over her older sister.

Everyone agreed with that conclusion, and we left quickly, but I didn't leave before whispering to Yang, "Get well soon." We went back to the Bullheads, where people are filing onboard, talking among themselves over why Mercury would do what he did.

Little do they know I want to know why much more than they do. We all headed back to the dorms and I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

The next morning, I got up, got dressed, and headed to the Beacon hospital wing. I have heard in tournaments past that when people get injured in the tournament, they get treated in the Coliseum and then get sent to the hospital wings of the local Huntsman training academy for more advanced medical procedures. When I step in, I am honestly surprised to find Yang already sitting up. She still has her brace on, but she seems a lot better.

"Good morning. You look a lot better." I comment coolly.

Yang smiled in gratitude. "Thanks. I just spoke with the doctors and they say that I will be out and about around lunch time."

"Great. See you at lunch before I take it." I say offhandedly. I walk out, despite Yang's protest against my previous comment, and head back to my dorm. Thankfully, the rest of my teammates are already awake and cleaned up.

"What do you say we have breakfast and help prepare Penny in case she fights tonight?" Alec suggested, looking well rested.

"I think that would be a good idea." Max agreed, resetting the defense mechanisms on his bed. Penny didn't say anything, but her expression said that she is grateful for our support.

We head down to breakfast, where we meet up with the remainder of Team RWBY and Team JNPR. We had breakfast together, then headed to the training rooms, where the rest of us supported Penny and Pyrrha while they trained in sword play and semblance use.

That happened all morning until lunch came along. As hoped, Yang came to join us and also wished Pyrrha and Penny good luck in the tournament. For the rest of the day, we just hung out together. Of course, in the middle of the afternoon, Pyrrha got called up to Ozpin's office for some reason. She didn't come down for a while. But when she did return, she looked rattled and using the Force to brush her mind, I knew Ozpin said something that really scared her. But what could he have said? Especially when she wouldn't even look at me. Jaune went to follow Pyrrha and find out what was wrong, since he is the most concerned for her.

But now, the 2nd round of the finals has arrived. Like the previous days in the tournament, we boarded the Bullheads and flew up to the Coliseum. Once we landed, we headed to the center and found good seats while Pyrrha and Penny went off to the locker rooms.

"Ladies and gentleman! Welcome back to the Vytal Festival Finals." Port shouted. The people cheered loudly in response, but noticed several Atlesian Knights in a circle around the stadium.

"Yes, and we hope this round goes off without a hitch. The kingdom of Atlas has lent the Tournament several of their Knights to make sure nothing gets out of hand again." Oobleck said. The people murmured in agreement when they heard that, but the Force told me that something is wrong and to be wary.

Soon, the holograms appeared and the contestants are about to be selected. Before me, I saw Ruby stiffen a little. She got up and walked past us. "Where are you going?" Yang asked.

"I just need the bathroom. I'll be back." She responded, but the suspicion lingered in her eyes, making me highly curious. I look around the stadium when I see her. It's Emerald, sitting among a large crowd to try and be in the crowd, but not be noticed. I point her out to Yang, who looks troubled.

"But I thought they were sentenced to house arrest by Ironwood." Yang said.

"Looks like they had a jail break." I respond. Then a warning from the Force flashed through my body.

"You felt that, right?" Yang asked. I nod, and look up. The maintenance door is open ajar. Looks like Ruby didn't need the bathroom after all.

Yang followed my gaze and understood immediately. Together, we get up and walk towards the maintenance door and subtly walk past it, closing it behind us. We turn around and notice Ruby trying to fight Mercury and losing because she doesn't have her weapon on her.

"How about you pick on someone your own size?" I ask, cracking my knuckles. The 2 look up, shock in their gaze. "Before we start, why do you want t do this?" I ask, using a Jedi Mind Trick.

Mercury wavered a little bit, but to my shock, a black cloud of pure darkness formed inside his head, killing my Jedi technique. I know what it is instantly. The Dark Side of the Force is possessing the guy. "Why should I?" he asked defiantly.

Me and Yang look at each other. Then back at Mercury. "Well, then. Looks like we'll have to beat it out of you." Yang said. Together, we charge.

Mercury ran at us and gave a kick at us. Unfortunately for him, we dodged the attack easily and gave him our best punches simultaneously. The guy who hasn't quite recovered from his fight with Yang the previous night, crashed into the concrete wall and got stuck there. Ruby just stared at us awestruck.

He pulled himself out of the wall rather quickly, but before he could retaliate, his Scroll buzzed. He picked it up and looked at it. When he looked up at us, he has a blank look is on his face. "Sorry, but our confrontation will have to wait. My job is done." He said and made a break for it.

But before we could make chase, I hear a loud slashing noise. Curious, Yang and I run out and witness a scene I wasn't expecting at all. Pyrrha and Penny are still on the arena floor but something was terribly wrong. Pyrrha is on her knees, horror written on her face. Before her is the dismembered corpse of Penny, now revealed to be a robot built by Atlas. As if that scene wasn't enough for today, a feminine voice rings out over the speakers.

"This is not a coincidence. This is what happens when you hand your trust, your security, your children, over to the academie's headmasters. They wield more power than entire armies, and one even controls both an army and huntsmen. They claim they bring peace, but are they really? You saw 1 nation's attempt at recreating a human being dismembered by another's star pupil. It really makes you wonder what Professor Ozpin teaches in his classes, doesn't it? Perhaps Headmaster Ozpin felt that defeating Atlas, a nation that has subtly taken over Vale, would make you all forget his failure to ensure Vale's security when the Grimm invaded, to forget another long-dead company who failed to prevent Mt. Glenn's people from being slaughtered by the Grimm. As someone who came from Mistral, I can ensure you that our predicament is equally undesirable. So I ask you, when the 1st shots in the upcoming war are fired, who can you trust?" Cinder Fall's voice rings out, calm yet sadistic as she speaks then everything goes silent.

Suddenly, the sound of loud engines rang out and a giant Nevermore landed on top of the barrier of the stadium and began pecking at it. People ran everywhere, screaming.

The 2 of us look at each other, then extend our senses with the Force to find out what's going on. What I find makes me gasp in shock and pull out. Yang also looks shell-shocked.

"Yang…we're being invaded again. Gods d*** it." I whisper.

* * *

 _AN:_ Ah, yes. The moment where Pyrrha learns of the Maidens.

For an explanation on why she's avoiding Sander, that will become clear later.

But anyway, thank you all for the support you have given me. I truly appreciate it.

I will be seeing you all next time in one of the most important chapters of this story.


	27. Chapter 26: The Battle of Beacon

**Yang Xiao Long's POV:**

Nervousness and a little panic rises into my throat, far worse than my first mission.

Back then, we were just investigating what the ship and then blowing it up. This time, the White Fang and hordes of Grimm are invading Beacon Academy, my only other home. All around me and Sander, people are running out of the stadium, screaming, as the giant Nevermore finally cracked the barrier, and swooped onto the arena floor. Pyrrha just sits there on the ground, open mouthed and in grief at what she did to Penny. Yes, me and Sander realized Penny is a robot once we really got to know her. No offense, but she just follows orders from others a little bit more than the average person.

Pyrrha continues to stare at Penny's corpse. "I'm so sorry." I can faintly hear her say, crying at her actions. The sight is truly heart-breaking.

Ruby then runs past us, and went down. Seeing her run by, we decided to join her and began running down the steps. Because of her semblance, Ruby beat us to the bottom, grabbing one of Penny's swords and holding it in front of her as the Nevermore approaches. In a quick slash, Ruby cuts the Nevermore's head off and the corpse starts dissolving. Ruby turns around to look at Pyrrha. "Look, I know we should be apologizing for what happened, but right now, we need to band together. We will defeat the one who is behind all of this." She says with confidence.

I feel a happy tear form on 1 of my eyes, but I wipe it away. It truly is good to see my baby sister growing up and beginning to take charge. Then I notice them. Two Griffin Grimm start swooping into the arena and are about to attack Ruby from behind. In a split second, a crazy idea came to mind.

I can tell Sander has the same idea, judging by how we pulled out our Scrolls at the same time. With enhanced reflexes, we push all of the necessary buttons. Ruby turned around and notice the 2 Grimm, but before either of them could make the first move, both of our lockers came hurtling to the arena floor and anchored themselves to the ground, impaling both of the Grimm, which start dissolving.

Sighing with relief, I put up my scroll and run down to the arena floor, Sander at my side. Ruby, Penny, and Pyrrha look at us, surprised looks on their faces. "Do you really think I'd let my baby sister have all the fun to herself?" I ask, and give her  
a wink.

"Count us in. We'll give a lesson they won't forget." Sander added, smiling as well.

Before anyone could say anything else, more lockers crashed to the arena ground, and every Hunter and Huntress-in-Training appeared, including the rest of our teammates. The message is clear: None of us are backing down.

Ruby looked at all of us, and knew we aren't going to back down from this. "Thank you, guys. Now let's win us a battle." Ruby said. We all cheered in response, and pull our gear from our lockers. I got on my shotgun gauntlets while Sander went all out,  
grabbing his sword and quickly getting on his full battle armor, brown cloak and everything. I will admit, it is funny seeing the fearful and awestruck looks people give Sander with his armor on.

Thankfully, no one dwells on it, as giant Griffon Grimm start flying down into the arena. Luckily, we still run out of the arena to head to the fleeing civilians, Professors Port and Oobleck backing us up. We all make it out of the arena area, weapons locked and loaded. In front of us, civilians are boarding the last Airbuses to leave Amity, when a loud roar rings out and to my shock, an Alpha Beowulf starts running to us. Before it can make contact, General Ironwood himself intercepts the Grimm, blasting it with his pistol. After grabbing the Grimm's arm and spinning behind it, Ironwood gives another shot and kills the Grimm altogether. "Good timing. We all need some real help at this point. The Grimm are spreading across the city. The White Fang are invading Beacon and as if that wasn't enough, some vagabond took over one of my ships. Until we regain the ship, we can't clear the skies. I will take it back myself. Right now, you have only 2 choices: Defend your kingdom and school or save your own lives. No one will fault you if you leave. So move out!" Ironwood says, boarding a dropship behind him and heads up into the skies.

We all look at each other, and the unspoken thought crossed our minds. It's our future job to protect humanity, so we aren't going to back down. So we all step onboard the last Airbus that will take us to Beacon where the real battle is; upon Jaune's suggestion. Ruby stares at the skies a few seconds before following us. I wonder what she's thinking. But soon, we find an open Airbus and board it.

Before the ship could take off, however, we notice Ironwood's dropship catch fire and start falling from the sky. The strange part, however, is when Ruby runs off the ship. I am about to run after her, but Sander catches my arm. "I'm sure she knows what she's doing." He says, but also looks a little worried for her. The door closes quickly and the ship takes off. Unlike the last times we rode, this one is traveling at full speed and it makes it back to the docking bay within 10 minutes. Unfortunately, our ship gave us a good view of thousands of Griffin Grimm flying around the last of the Atlesian Air Fleet, and even more Beowulves and Ursas than I can count pounding at Vale's borders. Many Hunters, Huntresses and soldiers are at work, trying to keep them at bay, but only just. Once the ship lands, we run off and notice the rest of the Hunters and Huntresses-in-training that came here to Vale in a tight circle. Some of them look hurt, while others are fighting off the Grimm, and…

"Are those Atlesian Paladins and Knights we're also fighting?" I asked, incredulously. Weiss, who just ran up to us, looks up and nods grimly.

"Something's made them go crazy and turn on us, so now we have 3 fronts to deal with, as if 2 weren't enough." She says quickly, then swings her rapier around, severing a Creep behind her in half.

"We need to find any injured people here. Teams RWBY, JNPR, SPAM, we're going to charge towards the Academy, then spread out in groups of 2 to cover more ground. Once everyone's accounted for, we're getting the hell out of here." Sander says, his military side kicking in.

The others looked surprised at hearing this from Sander, who is usually calm and sarcastic, but don't disagree with the idea. However, before we can go through with the plan, a giant Atlesian Paladin came charging down the cobblestone path.

Coco nods to Velvet, who smiles in response. She then pressed a button on her camera, and to my amazement, holographic projections of various weapons she's photographed appear. She grabs an image of Ruby's scythe and easily slices the Paladin in half. We all just look at her, amazed by whatever just happened. But knowing this is possibly our only opening, the 12 of us run down the pathway and once we hit the forks in the path, we split up into pairs.

"Do you think we should worry about our teachers?" Sander, who stayed by my side, wonders out loud.

* * *

Meanwhile, down in Vale, Glynda, Qrow and Ironwood are hacking and slashing the Grimm and the traitor Atlesian androids as they fought back relentlessly. Everyone else either fled or are fighting the invading force elsewhere. "Well, this isn't going to  
end well." Qrow said, after cutting in half another Grimm, only for another one to take its place.

"I agree, but who would help us?" Ironwood asked seriously.

Suddenly, loud music started playing. Not just any music, but Vacuoan music. "Oh, no." Glynda said, knowing what's about to come. "Duck!"

Not a split second later, one of the buildings smash apart as a car-sized tank drove across the air, got in a quick shot that tore apart a battalion of oncoming White Fang soldiers, then crashesto the ground. The 4 men get out. One is a Mistraltan man dressed in white robes and a black belt, with his overly muscular chest exposed, another is nerdy-looking, with video-game looking armor, a cape with blue and red dots on the back and a grey plastic-looking pistol in his hand, a permanent frown on his face.

However, the last 2 are easily the most recognizable. They are in full combat armor, 1 blue and 1 red. They both have grey stripes on their helmets, gold facemasks and the red one has far more weapons than the others combined, like rocket launchers strapped over his shoulders, pistols clipped to his legs and 2 shotguns clipped to his back; while his blue companion only has a powerful sub-machine gun on him, his stance suggested he is ready for anything thrown at them. The trio know who this quartet is immediately. Thy are team WSJB, or War's Job. The first and last Team to have 2 words in its title.

"Chad Boomstick! I thought you were at Beacon and banned from your Huntsman career." Glynda said sternly to the red-armored man. Although she is slightly nervous because despite his many armors, the red one is not only his favorite, but the most powerful.

Boomstick chuckles a little at the question. But his best friend and partner, Ben Singer Wizard, steps forward, his blue armor shining. "Alright, enough screwing around. We have some psychopaths to clear out of our city." He said in his usual serious voice.

Out of everyone on the Team, Glynda preferred Wiz, as he likes to be called.

"Yeah, let's do this." James Rolfe, the nerdiest of the team, said as he faces the Grimm, Atlesian Knights and White Fang armies, although their numbers are beginning to dwindle. Boomstick got in the tank and began firing, his companions joining in.

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha! Burn, motherf***ers, BURN!" Boomstick shouted as he fired round after round. Wizard also firesat them with surprising accuracy, Segata is using his semblance to send exploding imprints of his fists at the opponents, while James  
fires his giant 2 handed gun while shouting every curse word known to mankind, which somehow is the fuel source for his weapons.

"Chad really is like his father." Ironwood remarked, then shudders as he inevitably remembers the crazy Southern-accented, bloodthirsty sergeant, then colonel of the Atlesian Army. With new hope in them, the fight kept fighting for a few more minutes, until the Grimm are gone and the White Fang ran for their lives.

* * *

"Nah, they'll probably be OK." I respond, then we come across 2 White Fang soldiers. Using momentum, we slide underneath them, kick their legs out, and punch them to the ground. The power behind our attack knocked both of them out. We get up, and keep on running. We even come up to the Mess Hall, where we find a chainsaw-wielding White Fang lieutenant standing over a wounded civilian. He is about to stab the poor man in the back with it, but Sander threw his blade like a boomerang. It disarmed the man, and I went in with a brutal combo of punches. The Faunus received each one, and flew several feet away.

"Thank you so much." The near-victim said as he ran off towards the docking bays. The soldier got up and charged at Sander, fists raised. Sander rolled under the attack and grabbed his chainsaw. The 2 struggle for a second before Sander jerks the man to the left, then punches him in the face, a blow he literally stumbles away from. I internally wince as I feel the evil and hatred radiating from him, consuming his rationality. I punch him again, but this time he is sent backwards, swinging behind the stone wall and out of the Mess Hall. I heard him collapse on his back, and I am about to jump over and knock him out until a single White Fang soldier runs out, only to be thrown into the air an Ursa Major and eaten whole. Blood starts spilling to the ground from the corpse that was just eaten.

This Grimm is huge, easily 15 feet long, with an extremely spiny back. It looks down at the lieutenant, then goes in for the kill. The lieutenant screams as he too is eaten alive by the Grimm, splattering blood everywhere, but it is over within 5 seconds. Once it swallows the last of the poor Faunus, it looks at us.

Feeling cocky, it roars in challenge and charges forward, smashing the Mess Hall wall in the process. Sander gives a horizontal slash, leaving a giant gash. I run in and shoot a Dust bullet into the open wound. It roars in agony and falls onto its back. Sander jumps into the air and stabs his blade through the Grimm's throat. It writhes a little more before going limp and dissolving.

Sander looked at me, and even with the armor on, I could tell he is not as horrified as I am about seeing that, but is still shocked. "I really didn't expect that Grimm to eat that Faunus. Even hate-filled, he didn't deserve it." Sander said.

But before anything else can be said, a giant explosion goes off. Curiosity getting the better of us, we dash to the entrance of Beacon Academy, where the explosion came from. To my immense shock, Jaune, Pyrrha, and Ozpin are on the ground, struggling to get up. Cinder Fall, with the most infamous Faunus Adam Taurus at her side, walked out of Beacon's main entrance. Cinder seems to be glowing a lot brighter than she did before. She's literally radiating a strange power, and it's strong, making me even more nervous. "Adam..." Blake whispers, shocked at seeing the White Fang member. Maybe they had a connection in the past?

The 2 then look at Sander and I. "Ah, the star duo. My master has taken a special interest in both of you." Cinder said, smiling creepily.

Sander held his sword out in front of him and got into a defensive stance. "I don't care who's interested in us, we will stop you, Cinder Fall."

Surprisingly, she gives a hollow laugh in response. A response that also catches Adam off guard. "You really haven't figured it out yet? Who you're truly up against? Then let me spell it out for you. My name isn't Cinder Fall. My name is Cindy Peverell, and you are no doubt quite familiar with my family, Sander Blanco." 'Cindy' said, smiling even wider than before.

Confused, I look to Sander, but despite his armor on, I could sense disbelief and shock radiating from him.

What's going on?

* * *

 _AN:_ Yes, I went there.

How Cindy came to be will be explained in this story's prequel, 'The Heart of Death.' Also, to clear up any confusion, Cindy has already taken the rest of the Fall Maiden's power.

If you are wondering where the dragon is, that Grimm appears very soon.

Thank you for all the support you have given me, and I hope to do the best I can.

See you next time in one of my favorite chapters in this story. It details my opinion on Rooster Teeth's choice for the RWBY canon story (for that part, that is).


	28. Chapter 27: Revenge of the Fallen

_**Updated: 7/22/17**_

* * *

 **Sander Blanco's POV:**

* * *

I just can't believe what I just heard come out of her mouth.

This is Cindy Peverell, blood related to the infamous Darth Kadabra? I always had the feeling that I have seen her before, but how did I not put this together sooner?

"I don't give a damn who you are or who you work for; all I know is that you will fail." I said to her, much more confidently than I felt. If she was the one to take Darth Kadabra's holocron from the Separatist ship, then she will know every secret and power the mysterious Sith wielded. That will be disastrous.

She just looked at me and smiled eerily. "We'll see about that. You see, I had to distract you long enough for the real plan to kick in."

Before I could demand what that meant, a loud roar wrenched the air. I turn around and notice a Grimm I have never seen before and hope to never see again. It looks like a giant dragon, but with 6 eyes, and parts of its body pinched off like the mitosis process and when the drops hit the ground, they spawn into lesser Grimm, Beowulves being the most common.

"Forget it. Your friends will have to deal with the Dragon. But now, you must face us." Cindy said. Suddenly, the Force rippled with warning and I dodge out of the way. I roll to the right while Yang dodged to the left. The blast of black energy that nearly hit us flew by and hit a poor tree, making it crumple to ashes. I unsheathe my sword and Yang got her gauntlets primed and ready.

With that me and Yang charge at Cinder and Adam. Yang's brawler style allowed her to get into Adam's defenses fast and give him punches, but she constantly has to dodge out of the way as Adam's a truly dangerous swordsman. Channeling the Force into my limbs, I attack Cinder with faster speed than I normally do, but her twin blades made my attacks nearly useless. But soon, she got cocky and swung wider than she should. Using another technique I learned at Beacon, I dodge the overstretched blades, slash at the blade to knock her off-balance, then slashed at her. Thankfully, she doesn't have an Aura and she got a nice slice in her red dress and started bleeding a little. As for how I have Aura and Semblance, I don't know.

However, once I inflicted the wound, she roared in fury. The power behind the blast sends me reeling 5 feet away from her. Even Adam and Yang stopped fighting to watch what happened next. "Enough of this! You are both powerful opponents, but I shall show you what TRUE power looks like!" Cinder says. Suddenly, as she raises her hands and concentrates, a creaking noise came from one of the towers, a humanoid-shaped machine flying into view, silhouetted by shadows. Even though I can't see exactly what it is, but when I see the glowing red lines, going up at each end and leaving a red circle for where its eyes are, I freeze in fear, as I recognize the presence.

It is Darth Kadabra's most lethal war machine, Tiel! And if the Force isn't bullshitting, then he was the presence at the Emerald Forest that took the silhouette of Darth Vader all those months ago.

"Sander, what's wrong?" Yang asked, then she noticed the figure. But before we dwell on it, Adam tries attacked Yang again, but she dodges the agile slash and turns around, continuing the fight they are having. I have to admit, with Adam's longer reach and Yang's superior brawling style, they are pretty evenly matched.

Knowing I need to follow suite, I give a leap at Cinder and slash at her mid-section. But before I can get a chance, Cindy succeeded and slammed the butt of her blade into my skull really hard, followed by a giant explosion goes off in front of me and I get blown back several feet and land on my back. I didn't think Tiel would be that fast after all these years.

Apparently, the explosion was great enough to send Yang stumbling. Yang then runs recklessly at Adam and throws a half-coordinated punch at Adam, to which he parries. What happens next seem to go in slow motion for me.

Just as I get up, I try to push her out of the way, but I am too late. In one quick motion going up, Adam severs half of Yang's right arm off, then kicks her away. I just stare at the scene, horrified. "Yang!" I shout, the terror working its way into my voice.

Right then and there, I lost control of my powers. An explosion of power seemed to rock the world around me, uprooting the nearby trees slightly and making a few stones in the pathway below me crack. Adam tries to escape the sudden outburst, but receives the brunt of the blast, and his legs are torn apart. First, the skin is ripped off then the muscles disintegrate to nothing, leaving bloody skeleton legs, as he's blown away and lands so far away I can't see him.

"What!" Cindy screams in shock before the blast of my power tears through some of her face as well and sends her flying into the air as well. Suddenly, the dragon-like Grimm roars in what sounds like rage, its eyes burning brighter than before, shaking its body wildly then to my shock, starts turning grey until he's a statue. A goddamn statue!

However, I pull my attention away from the anomaly as I regain all of my control over my powers then run over to Yang, who is lying on the ground unconscious. I gently pull her body into a hug. "Please hang on. You're safe now." I whisper, tears running down my face.

I look down at Yang's nearly severed arm, and know what to do. I fight the piling exhaustion and use the Force to hold Yang's arm in place while I try my hardest to heal her wound. After a few seconds, I release her arm. It is back together, but a really nasty scar is left.

Before I could do anything else, exhaustion hit me and I fall next to Yang. Just lying there on the ground, everything goes black.

It felt like an eternity passed, before I opened my eyes again. I find myself staring up at…a wooden ceiling? I sit up, but nearly shout in pain. My whole body ached like I had done 50 burpees followed by a lightsaber duel, but my head has it the worst.

It feels like a giant fist is gripping it tightly. I put a hand on my head, only to feel bandages on it. Was I really hit that hard? Just then, I hear a familiar woof. I look up and see a familiar dog licking me on the face. "Hey Zwei." I said, petting his head. After a few seconds, several set of footsteps coming from the other side of the couch and 4 people came into view. They all get seats on chairs in front of me and on my side.

The quartet are mostly people I know. I am not familiar with the blonde man of the group, who looks like a boxer, but the rest of the group is Qrow Branwen, Ruby and Yang.

"Well, look who's awake." Qrow said, pulling out a hip flask and taking a sip from it. The blonde man looks at me, while surprising me with a grateful look.

"I just want to thank you for being there for my daughter. If not…I honestly don't want to think about it."

"You're welcome, sir. Don't worry; I promise to do everything in my power to keep her safe." I said, then try to sit up, only for my body to flare up with pain and I involuntarily groan.

"Lie still. You nearly got a fractured skull in your fight. Fortunately, you should be up and feeling a lot better later today." The blonde man said. "I also know you might have a lot of questions for us. You can ask anything." He said.

I stare at this man, one of the nicest people I've ever met. Then I realize that I do have quite a few questions in my head. "Alright. Who are you? How long have I been out, and what happened to Beacon Academy while I was out? Why did the giant Grimm run away?" I ask.

Qrow and the blonde man looked at each other, and judging by their faces, the news isn't so good. "OK. But you won't like it. My name is Taiyang Xiao Long, and you have been unconscious for a day. As for the situation at Beacon…that's the part I have trouble with believing. The Grimm broke the formation and overran the academy. Qrow here barely got the 2 of you out of there before the Grimm arrived. I'm sorry to say Beacon Academy has been overrun by hordes of Grimm. Fortunately, all of the civilians have been evacuated and Vale has been rebuilt as the safe haven for the people. However, CCT towers are completely down and accusations and distrust are quickly spreading, as well as Vox's alerting that Roman Torchwick broke out and fled in the chaos. But here's the worst part. Your teammate from when you were a student, Alec Wolfenstein, was captured by the enemy, and some other people you might know, Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie, are both in comas are discharging their aura in an attempt to destroy a particularly nasty Grimm called a Nuckelavee. None of the doctors know when they'll wake up, if ever. As for why that larger winged Grimm, whatever it was, is now frozen in place, Ruby here has silver eyes. According to legend, all warriors who have silver eyes make the Grimm run in fear."

I am suddenly grateful I am lying down, because otherwise, I would have flinched violently at hearing that news, especially the name 'Nuckelavee'. I encountered one long ago and it was the start of one of the most traumatizing weeks of my life. At least I now know why the Grimm Dragon is a fucking statue. At the very least, Ruby stood her ground and fought valiantly in this fight. "That's horrible. We need to get going, stopping this…" I start to say, but stopped when I saw Qrow's imperious look.

"You know what, kid? You have guts. I like that. But even I have to admit that the only way to be prepared for what's to come is to get rest. I think you should do so until this evening. Anyway, I have to see Oz in Vale. I'll be seeing you all around." He said, then walked out the door.

I did what he said, and rested. I read some books, I played games, I slept. But by the time the sun began to set, I am becoming stir-crazy. By the time I did get up, dinner is made and I ate with the family. I have to say, this is a truly unique family household and I actually like it a lot.

After a delicious dinner of chicken-fried steak and mashed potatoes, I got up and decided to go for a walk outside. For the first time, I get to see the vast forest that surround the house, making it secluded. This and the Southern style of the house made me feel right at home. However, before I can go on my walk, a familiar voice called out to me. "Hey. You're tired of sitting around as well?"

I turn around, and there stood Yang, an orange tank top and black shorts on, leaning against the wall with her arms folded over her chest. "You have no idea."

But before we could talk anymore, a very familiar man with a blue silhouette walks out of the clearing and stares at us.

" _Good, because i_ _t is time. Your final trial to become the heroes this world needs has come."_ Qui-Gon Gin said, smiling slightly.

* * *

 _AN:_ I know I am posting earlier than usual, but I have a big sports event this weekend, so yeah.

So, Adam being horribly dismembered and Cindy's reaction. Those were the same reactions I had when Adam cut Yang's arm off, and I wished Adam was killed right then and there. I sure do hope Yang returns to normal and lives happily ever after afterwards (since the show IS based off a series of fairy tales, after all). Also, silver eyes win against giant Grimm but not Beowulves and lesser Grimm in the earlier volumes? Maybe it relates to extreme emotions?

As for Ren and Nora comatose…I thought it would be necessary for this. I mean, at the end of RWBY Volume 4, we saw Ren getting pretty violent regarding that particular Grimm (and for good reason), so it almost wouldn't surprise me if him overusing his Aura trying to kill the Grimm and keep Nora alive would be too much of a stretch for him at this stage in life. So for this story, Ren and Nora used too much of their Aura to kill the Nuckelavee and all the Grimm in the area and went into comas.

But anyways, thank you all for the support you have given me. I very much appreciate it.

I will see you next time in perhaps the most important and my favorite chapter of this story.

Later!


	29. Chapter 28: The Final Trials

**Sander Blanco's POV:**

In an instant, my relaxed and restless state dissipated and is replaced with a feeling of adrenaline and excitement.

If what Qui-Gon said is true, our final trial to becoming Jedi has finally come. Even Yang looks rather pleased about the wait being over. "But where will we go? We can't go back to Beacon Academy." She said, bringing up a very good point.

 _"Fear not, my padawans. I know of a place that will do for your final trial: The Tomb for the brave woman known as Summer Rose."_ Qui-Gon responded in his usual monotone.

I wince a little, since I know about Yang and Ruby's…mother issues. Yang has a disturbed look on her face, but wisely remained silent. _" Good. I want you to grab your weapons and kyber crystals, then head to the cliff-side in half an hour."_ Without another word, he left.

"Well, let's get this going." I said with an upbeat tone. Yang smiles at my enthusiasm and we go back inside. I grab Star Blaster and my white kyber crystal while Yang grabs Ember Celica and her twin yellow crystals. But before we can run out the door, Ruby and Taiyang spot us.

"Where are you 2 troublemakers up to?" Mr. Xiao Long asked, looking at us as we are about to walk out of the door for who knows how long.

"Just for a quick walk. Besides, we're training to be Hunters, right? It's always good to have your weapons on hand." I said, honestly. I really is a good habit to have, especially these days.

Taiyang nodded absently, looking a little concerned. "But we won't be gone long." Yang added quickly.

"Ok, ok. I can't keep track of you forever, so go off. But do come back tonight. You need your rest." He added.

"Dad!" Yang protested loudly, while a smile broke out over her face.

"Don't worry. Have fun." He said, then went back to laying on the couch, watching an action movie. I would stick around to watch since I love that genre of movies, but I have something to do.

Using the Force, we run through the forested grounds until we make it to the edge of a cliff, overlooking another forest. Right before us sat a stone slab with a rose symbol on it, and the name 'Summer Rose' written on it. I have to admit, this is a nice spot to have a memorial. Yang began tearing up a little at the sight of the grave.

 _"I know that this place still makes you feel sad, but don't dwell on it too much. This is the perfect spot to complete your final trials: The Trials of Isolation and Teamwork. You must make your way through a treacherous maze. When you both reach the center, you must work together to defeat the spirit of my old master back when I was a Padawan. May the Force truly be with you in this perilous journey."_ Qui-Gon explained.

My eyes widen in shock. Why mazes? I was never good with solving them. Damn things take too much time to solve. But suddenly, I feel my conscience slip from my body and I fall to the ground. But before I fall all the way to the ground, the space around me changed completely.

I am in space, but before I can establish what the trial is or where the maze is, I feel gravity kicking in around me, pulling me backward. I turn around and notice an unusual sight. I am obviously being pulled towards what looks like a giant gold ring floating in the middle of empty space. Quickly, I use the Force and create a small bubble shield around myself. Just in time, as the air around my Force shield burst into bright flames. Within seconds of being forces to hold my shield up, the flames dissipate and I crash onto a stone pedestal suspended over a black pit. Before me is a stone pathway that leads to what has to be 40 feet tall stone walls. Suddenly, another ball of flames crashes onto the stone pedestal on my right, before the flames dissipate and reveal Yang, looking a little tired.

"Man, I didn't expect that to happen." She said, patting out any leftover flames from her mane of blonde hair. Before I can say something witty about her hair, a loud crunching sound rang out.

"Did you hear that?" I ask, warily. Then I realize where the sound came from, and I look down at my feet. To my shock, the pedestal I'm standing on is crumbling apart!

"Jump!" I shout, then jump onto a stone pathway just as my pedestal completely collapsed and it fell into the abyss below. Yang also landed next to me right after her pedestal collapsed as well. "Start running, and don't stop until we reach the center." I tell her, then take off at a fast rate, but slow enough so I can conserve energy, down the stone path. When we reach the entrance to the maze, I notice we have 2 ways to go: left or right.

The Force screamed at me, telling me to go to the left. I do so, while Yang runs to the right. But after we enter the maze, another horrifying twist happens. The walls slam together behind me and remain together. So to not get crushed, I need to keep running, the Force enhancing my legs.

I sink into the Force's embrace, and it screams to me, telling me where to turn and avoid dead ends. I run until I hit what has to be a 10x10 corridor. Inside are giant Grimm. They growl at me, then lunge forward. But I just pull out my dark gold blade strapped to my back and slash them, making them get out of my way as I race down the ever-closing maze. I keep on taking turns. Left, left, right, left. The directions are absolutely confusing and would have made my head spin. But then I come to another, full of clone soldiers. They begin firing at me with blue lazers, but I use the Force to push them aside and run past. I can hear them scream a little before being crushed to death behind me. The only thing I can do is to run, run, run. Down endless turns and the occasional downward or upward staircase.

Then I come to another corridor, and meet an enemy I hoped to never see again. Twenty soldiers in jet black armor with gas mask-type masks under round helmets that reach down to the neck and curve up. The armor completely covers their bodies, and I notice the swords at their sides and blaster rifles in hand. "Jedi! Form up!" One soldier, with a red plume running vertically on his helmet, shouted. Then they got disks out and activated them, producing bright green energy shields that look like curved walls. Once they got in that formation, they lowered their shields so certain soldier in the formation can fire at me with accuracy just as good as the clones, but the shots are not nearly as random.

Seeing a way around them, I dodge the blasts, then jump into the air and run over their shields that protect them from an aerial assault. Just as I run past them, the walls close behind me. I turn right and come to a new branch off. But to my amazement, Yang is running towards me.

Together, we turn left and finally come to the maze's center. Once we enter the flat, grassy field, the walls close behind us. In the center of the field is a concrete block, with a rusty metal grid on the top.

"I'm so sick and tired of running." Yang said bluntly, placing her hands on her exposed hips and breathing a little heavily.

"Yeah, I couldn't agree more." I respond, also breathing heavily.

 _"Good job, running the gauntlet."_ Qui-Gon said, then added, _"Now comes the final part of the Trials: Teamwork. You must defeat the spirit of the my old master, the Sith Lord Darth Tyranus. Only then will you become Jedi. May the Force be with you both."_

"Wait, what?" I demand incredulously. Unfortunately, his presence had already left us to our troubles.

The concrete box in the center hissed, catching my attention. The steel grate opened outward, and an elevator of sorts rises up, with a man standing stoically.

I'd know that build, the white hair and brown robes. It is indeed Count Dooku. Yang just stares up at the man, surprise on her face. "So you're the Padawans my former apprentice told me about. I shall see whether you are any good to restarting the Jedi." He said, a stern look on his face, then activated his curved red lightsaber. In response, me and Yang activate our weapons. Raising an eyebrow at our weapons, Dooku spun in midair, slashing at us.

I hold my blade out, and to my amazement, it actually blocks Dooku's lightsaber. While the 2 of us fight it out with strength, Yang fired at Dooku's back. Dooku recoiled a little from the attack to the back, giving me a chance to slash at him. Dooku went flying back a little, then jumped at me, swinging back and forth, spinning in the air, and even throwing a Force technique to attack me. Of course, I used the Force and my instincts to repel the attacks. Of course, Yang's brawling style is obviously not what he's used to since he's actually begun to wear down a little.

"Impressive. You manage to make yourself my equal in combat and not get cocky when you're winning. Anakin Skywalker cannot say the same thing for himself. You both are really impressive, but now's when the true fight begins." Dooku said, then lunged at Yang. Unfortunately, she doesn't have any swords so she has to jump out of his sword's path to not get slashed in half. I charge at Dooku just as he is about to slash Yang in half after he pulls her closer due to the Force. I push a button on the side and it transforms into my trusty shotgun.

I fire it at Dooku while holding my white crystal, which fueled the shotgun blast. Giant holes in his robes and a nice wound on his back appeared. Yang is no longer being pulled forward, but uses the momentum to give him an uppercut. Dooku went sailing into the air, then crashed to the ground on his back. "Enough!" Dooku said, once I put my bronze-colored shotgun against his throat. "I must say, you have progressed much in your training. Finish me. I am at your mercy."

I am torn between firing at his head, to get revenge on all the Jedi and people who died by his hand, or to let him go. In the end, I pick the latter. I lower my gun and change it back into my sword. "No. I won't kill you. This is one of those moments where I should spare a life, even yours." I said.

"I also won't fight you anymore. You can't fight back." Yang said, lowering his fists.

Dooku smiled, then dissolved into smoke, and the world around us turned black.

When I open my eyes again, we are back in the real world, right next to Summer Rose's grave. _"My, my. That was the most interesting Jedi Trial I've seen in a while."_ Qui-Gon commented.

"Thank you, so now what? Do we get lightsabers like I've heard the Jedi had?" Yang asked, a little anxiety in her voice.

 _"Oh, yes. Now is the time to make your lightsabers. However, since resources are scarce, I've decided that you should use the Force to take apart your weapons and remodel the pieces so they can be the first of a new generation of lightsabers."_

I nearly gag when I hear that. How can I do that? After getting over the surprise of the statement, I concentrate on the Force and ask it to guide me in this. Suddenly, my sword and Yang's gauntlets flew into the air and disassembled before our very eyes. Concentrating on the Force, it reworked some of the pieces that compose our weapons, turning them into pieces that can maintain the original shape and do more, then the process is finished. I pull out my white kyber crystal and put it in the center of the floating field of metal parts. Yang followed suite, putting her crystals in the field of metal that was once Ember Celica.

Once that happened, the pieces reassembled themselves and reforms into Star Blaster in sword mode. I grab it and swing it around a little to test it. To my amazement, it feels exactly the same as it did before. Only this time, a white button is in the center instead of the blue button used for changing weapons and I also notice a 2nd symbol on the twist-able bottom of my blade. There's a shotgun symbol on the front side, but the opposite side is a symbol for a lightsaber. Curious, I twist the bottom so the sword is on the side and the lightsaber is facing up, not the sword symbol, and press the white button.

It then begins creaking mechanically, shrinking into itself, the blade tips forming the grips of my new lightsaber and changing into the 2 feet long, dark gold-colored hilt, along with the same circular bottom my sword has. I notice the white button in the center of the hilt and press it. A long white lightsaber beam, perhaps 5 feet long, comes out, humming with power. In 1 swift motion, the lightsaber made with the Force's help slices at me, cutting off that tacky braid of sandy blonde hair. It falls to the ground and lays there, limp.

I look over at Yang, and to my interest, she's now holding twin yellow lightsaber hilts that are slightly curved, with pointed metal plates as it goes up so it still looks a little like Ember Celica and that they are shooting out yellow beams about 3 feet long.

 _"These will be your lightsabers, symbols as the first of a new generation of Jedi that will start on this planet. But don't think you're done just yet. To become Grandmaster and Grandmistress of the New Jedi, you must save Remnant from the wrath of Darth Pyro, better known as Cindy Peverell. May the Force be with you on the path ahead."_

With that, Qui-Gon left us alone to witness the upgrade our weapons got and what will come.

* * *

 _AN:_ Yay! The final trial is done.

Yes, I showed you the soldiers that the Sith Empire once used. Find out more about them in this story's prequel, 'The Heart of Death.'

I don't know why, but Darth Pyro feels appropriate for Cinder Fall.

I will see you next time when Schnee's decision to take Sander in is revealed.

Have a great day!


	30. Chapter 29: A Mysterious Attack

**Sander Blanco's POV:**

Since I don't see any need in using the Force, me and Yang just walk back to her 2-story log house holding hands.

The sun has started to set, giving the sky a red and gold look to it as we walk towards the house and inside. "Well, see you in the morning." I said to Yang.

She smiles back, then walks down the halls, looking down at her shotgun gauntlets. I do have to admit, knowing that the weapons that have practically become part of us have become greater than ever is an overwhelming feeling. I go into one of the bathrooms and get on my pajamas: A yellow running shirt and grey boxer shorts.

Grabbing the spot on the couch I occupied hours before, I lean my head back on my pillow and fall into an easy sleep.

The next morning, I felt my shoulder being moved back and forth. My eyes flutter open, and there stood Yang. "Man, you have a- _cat_ -e hearing, to wake up that fast." Yang said, smiling.

I groan at the horrible pun, and sit up. "Why are you awake at this hour?" I asked. Then I shake the fuzziness from my head and notice that the sun has only just started to rise, and the rest of Yang's family is up and packing. "What's going on?"

"Ozpin's called us to Vale today. We are getting picked up in an hour by a Schnee Dust Company Bullhead to be taken to Vale so we can start missions so we can clean up this mess our planet has been thrown into." Yang said, matter of factly.

That got my attention instantly. "OK. Let me get cleaned up and I'll be right with you guys." I said groggily, and went to the bathroom. I spent the entire hour taking a shower, getting on my blue shirt, black vest and shorts, along with my blue dust-infused headband, and grabbing my sword and making sure it's full of Dust ammunition.

Once I made sure everything's in working order, I get on some black military boots and walk out the door, along with Ruby, Yang, and Taiyang. Sure enough, I heard the sounds of a roaring engine, and a Bullhead comes into view, bearing the Schnee Dust Company symbol on the side. The grass and the leaves on the trees shifted as the Bullhead whirled around and landed in front of us, parallel to the wooden house. The hatch opened up, and… "What are you guys doing here?" I asked.

From out of the ship emerged Weiss, Blake, Max and Penny. "I managed to convince my dad to lend us one of these ships to pick you guys up. We always have spare ships on hand." Weiss said airily.

I snort, knowing that because the Schnees are mega loaded, and they do like having spares floating around. But before we could board the ship, the ground shook beneath us. It's not a strong earthquake, a mere shaking of the ground, but I can tell it's not natural. "What is that? From my experience, I know that only someone who stomps on the ground can make something like this." Taiyang said, raising his fists for a fight.

Heavy person that can shake the ground? I suddenly have flashbacks of memories from when I was 8 years old, and I met the 1 person that can cause this effect. The toughest brute of western Remnant and one of the few men that I know that I can't beat in a brawl. I look over to Weiss, and judging by her horrified look, she knows who it is as well.

"I know who it is. Come, I need to see what he's up to. Also, bring some exploding dust crystals. We'll need them." I instruct in a strict tone.

Everyone, excluding Weiss, looks surprised by what I said, but loads their possessions onto the ship anyways. Then, after grabbing 4 exploding red Dust crystals from the ship, we make our way through the forest, following the quaking the ground, until we come to a clearing. There I saw him again for the first time in over 9 years.

There is a boy on the ground, with black hair, hazel-green eyes and freckles on his face wearing farmer clothes, lying on the ground, crawling away from a giant bronze-colored bull and its rider. A 7 feet tall man with puffy black pants, an open vest with no shirt underneath, exposing his slight potbelly, and his face is shaded by a large brown hat with a large, floppy rim around it. "Jigo." I whisper, a little nervousness in my voice.

"As in the infamous mercenary?" Taiyang asked, a little shocked to see this man in person.

"I don't care who it is, let's get him." Yang said, getting up and getting ready to attack, but I grab her shoulder and pull her back to the ground.

"Don't. Bullets, guns or fists don't hurt him; they only make him mad." Weiss said.

We all just stare at her. "How do you know all that?" Blake asked, a little suspiciously.

Just then, the man got off the bull and began walking to the farmer, cracking his huge knuckles. "Talk later. We need to…" Just then, an idea clicked in my head. "Wait. Do you have any boxes? If you do, give 'em!"

They look surprised, but Penny pulls out a little cardboard box, emptied it of dust fragments that she put into a pouch on her side, and gave me the box. "I need it in case I don't have access to any rocks to levitate around. Oum knows they pack a punch." She said while I charged up the 3 Dust crystals, enough to activate them and detonate in a certain time range. Taking inspiration from a Madness issue I read, I use the Force to make myself look like a mailman, and I after standing up, I stiffly walk towards the brute, who is about to punch the poor boy's lights out.

"Special delivery to Mr. Jigo." I said in a robotic voice. He looks at me, a surprised look on his face.

"What was sent to Jigo?" He asked. I know he's not bright, but hopefully he's not bright enough to catch onto what I'm up to.

"Um…3 bottles of whiskey, sir." I respond in my stiff manner. Then I hand him the box. "Thank you, and have a nice day." I said, then walk away while plugging my fingers in my ears.

"Jigo likes whiskey." He barely heard him say, then he opened the box. Suddenly, a loud boom went off. I turn around and see Jigo's face, blackened with soot from the explosion. He groaned, then fell backwards. The force of impact shook the earth a little, then he stilled.

The boy, who I now notice has several bruises on his face and body, closes his eyes and falls unconsious. The rest of my group came out of their shelter, laughing a lot. Even the stoic Penny is cracking up.

"Sander…what…was…that?" Yang asked, in between laughs.

"Madness always wins." I said, beaming. Then I turn around and look at the boy, letting my disguise fall. "But I do want to know why this boy was attacked." I walk over to him, and grab his scroll from his brown pants pocket, opposite to the pocket with a multi-colored scarf in it. A wave of a familiar feeling hits me, and I nearly gasp. This boy has the Force, and if I'm correct, he's really strong. Ignoring the Force pulses, I look down at the Scroll and frown. "This boy was sent a message 3 days ago, and flagged it under 'Important.' We should take him with us, to Vale. Maybe we might have a clue as to what's going on." I add, hopeful.

"Well, then. Let's get going." Weiss said, wanting to get away from here. But then she saw Jigo, who is still unconscious.

"So…who wants to help me carry him?" I asked, only to get groans in response to my cheery tone about lifting him.

Well, I can say today has already gotten interesting.

* * *

 _AN:_ Well, that's a wrap. As for Jigo, please watch Mel Brook's "Blazing Saddles" to see his inspiration. I thought this would be perfect.

Next chapter will be the big explanation of how Sander came to be with the Schnees, and some buildup before the group begins their journey to find the bad guys. Not quite like in Volume 4, I don't think.

BTW, I am so excited and can't wait for the new volume to come out! If Yang returns to her happy-go-lucky self, and fights people again, (maybe even finds a nice guy that travels with her when she leaves home and the 2 get together. Forget I said this.) then the volume will be absolutely perfect.

Anyway, I will see you all next time!


	31. Chapter 30: A Clear Shot

_**Updated Sander's story: 2/6/17**_

* * *

 **Yang Xiao Long's POV:**

This is absolutely boring!

After Sander's hilarious attack on that large man, Jigo, we had to do something far less amusing. Lifting him off the ground and onto the Bullhead while the others carried his would-be victim. The problem with that is that me and Sander are left to carry the big guy. Even with help, lifting the guy up is extremely tiring, which is saying a lot. But once we load the heavy sucker and the man on board, we get seated and finally take off to go to Vale.

Unfortunately, I didn't expect for the trip to take so long, leaving me bored out of my mind. So to pass the time, me and Ruby played a video game on our scrolls, Sander read an issue of Madness he brought, featuring the strangest show I'd ever seen but Sander absolutely loves, X-Ray and Vav, while Max just twiddles with his swords, and everyone else just talks among themselves.

After 2 hours of flight, the AI pilot makes the long-awaited announcement. "Everyone, please buckle down. We are arriving in Vale."

"Finally!" I exclaim, then look out the window. What I see is something I wasn't expecting to see. The once-peaceful town is now militarized. Outside the city walls are several Atlesian Paladins, cured of the mass virus that infected them weeks before.  
Inside the walls, there are Vale soldiers everywhere, guns of different kinds in their hands. Their armor is different than Atlesian soldiers, in that they have plates covering their mouths, along with grey facemasks on their circular helmets and  
armor plating all over their bodies, under which is a chain mail type armor. The sight of what has become of Vale truly made me depressed.

After flying over everything, we set down on a landing platform and the ramp opens up. Once we walk out of the ship, two soldiers walk up to us. "You must be the people Mr. Ozpin wants to see. Follow us." One of them said, sounding like someone close to my age, then the 2 started walking towards a 5-story building that rises higher up than the other buildings in Vale.

"Am I the only one who isn't happy with the changes around here?" Sander said as we followed the soldiers to the building.

"I agree." Ruby said, looking around. But we don't get to talk much more as we enter the building. Before us is a scanner-type screen.

"OK. Here's how this is going to work. Place your thumb on the scanner, and it will determine if you are really you. Blondie, you're up." One of the soldiers.

Knowing he's talking about me, I step forward and place my thumb on the scanner. It glowed for a second, before the light turned green. "Alright. You're next." The process went on until everyone is accounted for. "Good. Take the elevator to the 3rd floor. Go to the 3rd door room on your left. Mr. Ozpin's waiting for you there. We would guide you, but we need to finish our sweep." With that, the 2 soldiers left and begin walking out of the building.

I caught a snippet of what they said, and it isn't good. "So, are we going to make it?" The younger soldier asked.

His companion sighed and responded, "We're probably doomed if we don't stop the tension now."

But I can't dwell on the words as we take the elevator and ride up to the 3rd floor. Once there, we walk down the hallway until we reach the 3rd door. Dad hesitantly knocks on the door. "Come in." Ozpin's voice called from within.

Dad then opens the door and we all walk into a conference room. The left wall is just glass, giving us a great view of the city and the apartments about half a block from us. Sitting on the end of the oval table is Ozpin himself, with Glynda at his side  
as usual, along with Uncle Qrow. He looks exhausted. "Hey, kiddo." He says, then takes a swig from his hip flask.

"Ah. I'm glad you all made it here. Please sit." Ozpin says to the group.

I don't see any reason to stand, so I get a seat. "I must thank you for saving Oscar from death at the hands of an infamous mercenary. Though why my nephew was attacked, I have no idea." He admitted.

"Wait, this Oscar's your nephew?**" Ruby asks, interested. There were moments on the trip when Ruby would leave and check up on Oscar. Maybe it's because she can relate to him because they're the same age, I really don't know or want to.

"Yes. Oscar is my nephew. Me and my brother...didn't see eye to eye when it came to Huntsman training, so he settled on a farm and remained there, even though he always had a weapon there for safety. Oscar is a good boy, and I hope to see become a successful Huntsman." Ozpin explained, "But I want to find out why he was attacked, and fast."

"Actually, sir. I might have an idea on that." Sander said, interrupting Ozpin before he can go on. He then pulls out the scroll he retrieved from the would-be victim. "He got some message here and immediately flagged it. I have a feeling why he was attacked is on here."

"Well, then, what are you waiting for? Plug it into the terminal here. I think we all can use an explanation." Glynda said sharply. After what's been going on after the Vytal Festival's end, she's been stressed out.

"OK, I'll do it." Sander said, then as instructed, plugs it into the slot on his side of the table. A holographic projection flares to life in the center of a typical scroll main screen. Scrolling through, Sander selects the new message. Oh boy, I didn't expect what it showed.

"Help me." A distorted voice said, then a picture of a face appeared, focusing on the eyes. The reflection of a tall stone castle with 4 tall towers on each corner, followed by scenes of destruction: An explosion creating a mushroom cloud, people whipping  
other people, a pile of bones of dead humans, followed by a Beowulf head flying towards the screen, growling louder than a Grimm usually does. But the worst wasn't over. The arm of a grandfather clock ticks back and forth while a gravelly voice spoke. "You saw. Noon on the 3rd day, you die." The screen goes black.

No one spoke for several seconds. Such is the shock of seeing that message. "What the…" Sander said, absolutely in shock.

"What was that?" Weiss asked, her voice just barely above a whisper.

"It was a message. Back in my…darker days, the White Fang used to send threats to people to change their ways or their stuff is destroyed. Somebody else was behind the message, because the ones we used to send were never this…evil." Blake said, her eyes wide.

"So, someone in the White Fang sent this message because Oscar saw something that can severely damage their plans. So they send this message as warning, and hire a mercenary, like…Jigo, to kill him?" Weiss summarized, looking a little rattled.

"OK, please tell me. What is with you two and Jigo?" Ruby asked, looking between Weiss and Sander.

They look at each other and sigh dejectedly. "I'll do it. Well, I was 8 when I landed on this planet. On the continent of Anima, to be exact. Luckily, it's such a large area that hiding it well was easy. I spent a good 2 weeks traveling via Mistral's airships, scavenging for food, staying for a little while at some of the local villages and upgrading my equipment with materials I bought in Mistral's black market, when I met Weiss at an airship port in Mistral and we immediately became friends. But mere minutes after we traveled towards Mistral, Jigo, who is a famous mercenary who made his name in Mistral after being born in Vacuo, ambushes us. I sent Weiss off to get help while I tried to fight Jigo. But thanks to his semblance, no matter how hard I hit him with my fists and a broadsword imported from Vale I picked up on my...travels, I couldn't even faze him. Just as I was about to be defeated, Weiss's Mom came and fought the mercenary, making him flee. Which was a miracle, since I would learn later that guns have no effect on him either. After that, the family saw how I tried helping them, and after taking me with them to Atlas, took me in. Over the next few years, Winter helped me smith the broadsword so it could also transform into an Atlesian shotgun and trained me into who I am today." Sander said, his face down while he spoke.

Once again, everyone is silent for a few seconds, comprehending what he just said. But Ozpin starts speaking again, "I understand talking about it is hard, so why don't we change the subject. I think the first thing we need to know is why that man got sent the message. We'll need to ask him some questions." Ozpin says, then stands up.

"Actually, sir. There's no need for that. I know what this is. In the past, when the White Fang sends their threatening messages, they leave clues behind to what they think their victim has done, and what they plan to do, in the videos. It was their way of being judge, jury and executioner." Blake said, staring at the screen.

I can't help but feel kind of disturbed by how Blake knows all of this.

"So. What's it mean?" Weiss asked, impatience in her voice.

Blake pulled the video up again and looks at different segments of it. "OK. Assuming these are the clues they left behind before, the explosion and bones are what they want to do. The whipping must be what they think is man's evil, and I think that castle being reflected in the man's eyes are where their base of operations is at." She said, looking at the different parts

Ozpin and Glynda look at each other, then back at us. "I might have an idea on that. I have heard rumors of an ancient castle on an island north of Vacuo. But with how tense things are here, we can't send any armies. We need to find a way to ease the  
tensions first." Ozpin said, placing his hands on the table. Only now do I realize how exhausted he also looks.

"That's good. Mainly because sending an army would raise a lot of attention. We need to have a small strike force make our way around the continent and take the White Fang and whomever is in charge by surprise. But as for how we're going to travel off-record, I have no idea." Sander said.

To my surprise, Penny and Glynda look at each other and have what looks like a pretty intense staring contest. But to my shock, Glynda backs down, a guilty look on her face. Yeah, something's happened between the two. "Me and Max know some guys that can give us off-chart travel. For a price, though. We met them when we did our first investigation on the White Fang months ago." Penny said.

Okay. I can definitely tell that she's got history with these guys, but I don't say anything. "Very well, then. Let's discuss…" Ozpin says before he's interrupted by Sander,

"Oh, by Monty. Ew!" Sander exclaims, looking horrified.

"What?" I ask, getting myself psyched for a fight.

"Some ugly naked guy in the apartment next door just got a thigh master." Sander responds, looking even more horrified.

Wait, what? I get up and walk next to Sander to see what he's talking about. Apparently, everyone is interested as they also get up and get a view of the apartments not too far away. On the 3rd floor before is a room with open curtains, revealing…

"Eeeeewwwww!" We all exclaim at the same time, then turn away. The sight is too horrifying, even for me to make a pun. That's saying something indeed, since in my stage of hitting on boys, I've once or twice peaked into the boys' locker room with binoculars*.

"Anyway, let's get down to the details for your mission. The basic plan is to travel to the island and find the castle, make sure the White Fang are there, infiltrate it and stop them. If you do so, you will have saved Remnant from a civil war that would  
have torn us apart. I just want to make sure we have backup plans in case things go wrong." Ozpin said.

Dreading the meeting that's going to happen, I sit down and we go over all the details for every single scenario.

The mind numbness I got is insane.

* * *

 _AN:_ Hi, I know I'm updating early. I want to do it as compensation for being so late last time.

I hope you like the references I put in there. I did create the video because video or not, I do think that the White Fang sent warnings to their victims in the canon show.

*Another RWBY Chibi reference. I don't know why, but when Yang was in her 'hit on every boy' stage (even if I do hope she finds a guy she likes), it wouldn't surprise me if Yang spied on the boys at one point or another.

**This may or may not be true, but I think the 2 are definitely related one way or another.

Anyway, I shall see you next time, when the final battle to save Remnant starts (somewhat).

Have a good day (or night if you're reading this at night)


	32. Chapter 31: The Black Flag

**Sander Blanco's POV:**

* * *

For over a week, we have trained, rested and prepared in any way possible for the upcoming mission.

During that brief time period, me and Yang had our own training sessions so we can get better with our new lightsabers as well as staying on top of our game in every other way. I can honestly say Yang has improved quite a bit in lightsaber combat. Aside from that, we got on whole new clothe styles that are actually really cool looking.

Ruby has on her usual black blouse with red highlights on the ends and her signature red hood, but she also has on grey stockings with roses on the sides and puffy sleeves. Weiss got herself a blue dress with dark blue sleeves and her white hair is now tied back into a ponytail that falls behind her, not to the side like it used to. Blake has a really long white jacket and a black training bra, exposing her mid-section. She even dyed the tips of her hair purple, which is really odd in my opinion,  
but hey, I won't dare say anything out loud. As for Yang, she has gone much simpler, and now prefers a yellow tank top under a brown jacket and brown pants with her emblem on the side, and even tied her hair back into a ponytail.

I myself now prefer a blue running shirt, khaki pants with lots of pockets so I can carry more ammo on me and my symbol is printed on the tops of both pants legs, a black military-style jacket with dark gold laced into it and after a subtle visit to the black market, remodeled my blue bandana so now it's woven with all the different types of dust, making a dark gold color so now I can concentrate on it to make a shield of energy around me, although it needs recharge time. I did the same for my old Jedi cloak that's on my battle armor as a precaution and painted the entire armor blue, with the exception of the marks on the eyes. Hey, my 2 favorite colors are dark gold and light blue. The armor is already about as good as it's going to get, since I kept the clone armor's basic working but completely redesigned the once-weak armor with rare metals and materials from Mistral, home to the world's most famous black market. Although for effect, I keep the many resemblances to Remnant's medieval armor around. They just feel appropriate for some reason. But the best part, when I landed on this planet and learning where I ended up, I was shocked to discover that even the cheapest metal here has a degree of resistance to normal lightsabers and blasters, something very few and rare substances like Mandalorian Iron can claim to be.

Jaune, Pyrrha, Penny and Max are all still the same, however. Although Jaune got himself far flashier armor along with an upgraded sword and an actually useful sheath. The rest of our friends and family, however, stayed behind while we went on our secret mission.

It makes me feel really sad on the inside, because I just found out that Blake has a loving family who rules over Menagerie and my friends have their families to talk with, while all I know about my family is what my dead mentor's message said. Once I come to that revelation, I make a promise to myself to find out as much about who my parents are as soon as possible.

But now, we are ready. All 9 of us are on the docks of Vale, waiting for Penny's 'friends' to come pick us up. I have on my battle armor with the helmet at my side, along with my bag, as I gaze at the bay. Yang also has her motorcycle, Bumblebee, at her side along with her helmet and her yellow bag. She's bringing the motorcycle in case we need the extra speed on our journey. The sun is almost starting to set, making the ocean sparkle in the rising sun's light.

"So…when are our guides get here?" Jaune asks, anxiety on his face.

"Don't know. What I'm wondering is who are they." Pyrrha wonders out loud.

"Oh, oh! What if they're mercenaries? Aliens? **Gasp!** Pirates?" Ruby said, really fast as usual.

"Ruby, your imagination is getting the better of you." Yang said, trying to calm her sister down.

But to my surprise, Penny sighed in defeat. "Ruby, you do have a wild imagination, but your latter guess is correct."

Before I could demand what she meant, a large ship entered the bay. It is a 2-story metal ship with a mast in the middle of the ship, with the top of the mast being a smoke pillar, spewing white smoke into the air. Also on the mast flutters a flag that  
is pure black.

It is a pirate ship.

The giant ship completely entered the harbor all the way and stops. From the side of the ship extends a step ladder which touches the concrete dock on our left, allowing a man to walk off. He has untamed black hair that extends into a stubby beard. His left eye is dark blue, while his other eye is covered with a black metal plate. To top it off, his left leg is robotic, judging by the heavy clunking of the leg. At the side of the man's black pants is a curved sword and probably other weapons. All in  
all, he's like Boomstick, but not as intimidating.

The mysterious pirate looks at all of us, then when his gaze rests on Penny, he smiles warmly. "Greetings, Penny! Hope yer plannin' on returnin' soon?" The man asks.

Penny groans in exasperation. "No, Edmund, I don't, but thanks for the offer anyway. We're only meeting now because we need your help in giving us safe passage to Vacuo. What price do you want?"

Edmund smiles again. "Well, since I'm so generous, I'll give you and your friends your ride for free. Besides, if things turn out the way I think they are, lien won't matter anyway. Come along, y'all."

With that statement, Edmund turns around and walks back onto his ship. "Y'all? Is he a Southern pirate or something?" I ask, after we look at each other, but shrug it off, grab the bags at our sides and follow Edmund on board.

The ship crew is not what I was expecting them to look like. They are bustling around, making sure everything is in tip-top shape. Cleaning the deck, checking the wires to make sure everything is working properly, among other checks. Judging by the crew, I can tell that they are as far from being prejudiced as possible.

I mean there both men and women, dark-skinned and light-skinned, young adults to middle aged, and even Faunus are all working together as one. What's even more interesting is that some of the crew actually stop what they are doing and greet Penny like she is an old friend.

We all follow Edmund past the crew and walk to the doors and down the staircases. Yang is in the back of the group, since she has to haul her motorcycle across the deck and down the stairs.

Once we are down the staircase, Edmund turns around to look at us. "Now, go to the right all the way to a hammock room that has no stuff before. Penny, before you go, there's something I want to give you."

He walks back up the stairs, and comes back minutes later, holding a box in his hands. "When you left us, you also left this behind. I hope you can put it to better use than for it to just sit on my desk." He said, then opens it.

To my shock, the captain pulls out a metal mask with slits for eyes and a pointy tip, connected to green cloth, which I realize is the same color as Penny's robes, and gives it to her. Afterwards, he turns to us and speaks, "For all of you, dinner is at 6 pm sharp. Breakfast is at 8 am sharp, you'll figure it out. I would advise you all to get settled before coming up to the deck for dinner." Without another word, Captain Edmund returns to his quarters located on the top deck.

Following his directions, we go to the far room on the right, where there are 9 hammocks. We all take dibs on our hammocks, with me taking the one between the door and the bathroom.

"I don't know if we can trust them." Blake said, bluntly, before unzipping her bag and started reading a book.

"Well, trust me. They are trustworthy." Penny said, setting the mask on a desk next to the hammock she's occupying and starts unloading.

"I just want to know one thing: How in the name of Remnant did you join a crew of pirates?" Yang demands, the impatience in her voice evident.

Penny looks down and her expression turns from being hard serious to downright sad. "Well, you know how we go through various stages in our lives, right? Well, believe it or not, I went through a rebellious stage. Back then, I hated everything that was going on, and believed nothing was going to get better. So I ran away and joined this crew for about a year. Then Mom and Ozpin tracked us down, they talked sense in me and we came back home. Along the way, we met up with Alec, and as they say, 'The rest is history.'"

Several seconds pass without a word being said. Such is our shock upon hearing that one of Team SPAM's strictest members was once a pirate. "Well, that's…something I wasn't expecting to hear." Weiss said, a little rattled about it.

"So…are we just going to standing around talking all day or are we going to get unpacked? Not that I have anything against it, mind you." I said matter-of-factly.

That broke everyone from their thoughts and we continue unpacking. Below us, I feel the ship rocking back and forth as it sailed across the waves. Of course, Ruby is the last to be unpacked, since she had to eat her way through a giant chocolate chip cookie she brought along.

Once we are unpacked, a loud bell goes off inside the ship. Judging by the hustling and bustling, it is dinner time.

We walk out of our room, making sure to close the door, then we go on up to the deck. Everyone is already there, digging into plates of sausage and mashed potatoes. We go up, get plates and fill it with the steaming meal, and start eating away from the general crowd. These days, you can never be too careful.

After our meal, Captain Edmund stands up, banging on the metal deck. "Alright, ye mateys. Are we ready to be lean, mean fightin' machines?" He asks.

Everyone roars in response at that. "Good. I am askin' 'cause for on our journey, I have no doubt we will face those White Fang landlubbers. But remember, we are pirates. Pirates never surrender. Hoorah!"

"Hoorah!" Everyone shouts all at once, except for my friends and I. I look off the side of the ship and watch while the sun sets on the ocean. I can't help but feel a sense of dread on what's to come.

Then we get up and walk towards the staircase to our rooms. "Guys, you go ahead. I want to talk with the Captain about exactly where we're going and what our plans are." Penny says, then goes up the staircase on our left and walks towards the captain's quarters.

We just shrug it off and go to our room. Everyone gets comfortable in their hammocks and start falling asleep. "You excited?" Yang asked, looking at me intently.

I think about it, then remember the feeling I got earlier. "I don't know. I just…have this feeling there's something we're missing. A piece of a puzzle, and it's just making me really nervous about what's to come."

Yang nods in understanding. "I know it is. I feel the same way. But we can do this together."

I give her a smile, but I can't help but feel like what I'm missing is even greater than I can comprehend. "I hope you are right. Goodnight." With that I lean my head back on the pillow, and fall asleep.

Unfortunately, my dreams have other ideas. I find myself in a chamber room of sorts, with huge stain glass windows everywhere. I look out, and to my horror, I see Grimm crawling out of pits of liquid that look suspiciously like blood. Staring at the scene is Mercury and Emerald, who look just as horrified as I feel. Then a pair of fingers snap and they turn around. I do the same, and find myself facing 4 people sitting on seats of what looks like bones. The weird thing is that 2 of the seats are empty.

The man sitting on the left is a man with black hair that's greying on the edges, a black mustache, and is wearing a suit that makes him look like an important official. Next to him is a man with red hair that extends into a beard, although shorter than Edmund's, and judging by his clothes and build, he is a powerful Huntsman. The man across from him is a buff man with an open vest revealing scars on his body, and long brown hair tied into a tight braid. Judging by his grin, he seems like a deranged lunatic. As for the final person…I glare at her when I realize it's Cindy Peverell. She is wearing a red dress that covers her left arm, but leaving her right one bare. She's changed since I last saw her. For one thing, her hair is cut short, but what nearly made me smirk with pride is seeing that Cindy's left eye is missing, replaced with a silver plate. I really need to get a grip on these new thoughts.

"I still can't believe that a bunch of kids actually defeated you and left the White Fang scrambling for some time without their leader. Fortunately, a new one has taken Adam's place." The man in the suit said, still looking at his Scroll. Cindy glares at the man with hatred, but calms herself.

Before anyone can argue, the wood doors slide apart. Everyone stands to attention as a woman walks in. She is looks like the embodiment of evil, what with her deathly white skin, white hair, black fingernails and blood veins that flow through her body, and the black cloak with red decorations on it that flows behind her. Yet for some reason, she looks so familiar. I feel like I've seen her before, the same feeling I had when she appeared in one of my Jedi trials.

"Now, now. We shouldn't be too hard on dear Cinder. She's the key to our victory, after all." The woman said, after gesturing for everyone to sit down again. To her credit, Cinder didn't smirk.

"Of course, my Lady. I do not tolerate failure." The man in the suit defended himself.

The woman sits on the throne made of Dust and stares at the man, confused. "I am curious as to why you would accuse Cinder of failure. She is the new Fall Maiden and made Beacon Academy fall. So explain to me, where is this failure?" The commanding tone of her voice is strong. But her words have left me reeling. I thought that the story of the Maidens was just a story. How are they real?

The man thinks for a second, then responds. "The Academy's students. They fought the Grimm out of Vale, defeated Cinder in combat and even killed Adam Taurus along with a couple White Fang lieutenants. To top it off, your great Grimm Dragon has been paralyzed at the Academy by a silver-eyed girl."

"Yes, we have fought their kind before, and we will fight them again. We know how they affect the Grimm." The gruff red-haired man said.

"Yes, yes. Now, Dr. Watts, meet our spy in Mistral. You will take Cinder's place in the field while she recovers." The woman orders.

"Very good. It shall be done." Dr. Watts said.

Suddenly, Cinder (or Cindy, take your pick) spoke up. Unlike last time, her voice is just an indiscernible rasp. Waving Emerald in, Cinder whispers then leans back in her seat. "She asks about what will happen about Sander." Emerald says.

That caught the evil woman's attention, as her head snapped towards Cinder, eyes widening in alarm for a split second. "What did you say?" she hisses.

Cinder coughs a little, and waves Emerald to lean in again. Cinder whispers something in her ear for a few more minutes, then pulls away. Emerald looks up and addresses the other woman. "She says that the silver-eyed girl had nothing to do with Cinder's condition. The culprit is a boy named Sander Blanco, and that when a girl he was fighting with got her arm nearly cut off, his powers were let loose, killing Adam Taurus and leaving Cinder like this."

The woman stares at Emerald, her eyes even wider and another split second of surprise comes over her face before she composes herself again, leans back in her throne. "Sander. Blanco. Are you sure?" Cinder nods. Oh, boy am I in deep trouble. "I see. Tyrian, when the White Fang is reorganized in their leadership again, I want you to lead a team of them and capture this Sander and the silver-eyed girl. Bring them to me, unharmed."

"Very well." Tyrian said, not looking happy about not being allowed to not injure anything, but composes himself, though not as good as the woman did.

"My lady, is this Sander a threat?" The red-haired man asks, interest in his voice.

"Yes, Hazel. More so than you can possibly imagine. But given the right circumstances, he will join us." The woman said. I nearly gag when I hear that. What makes her think that will happen? "Now go. I need time to ponder on these events."

The all get up, bow at the woman, and leave the room. The woman then adopts a thoughtful look on her face. "So. You're still alive, Sander? That's good, because you will either join me or join your friends in Death's embrace." She then starts cackling  
with a madness and evil that rivals, if not tops, Darth Kadabra.

I shot wide awake, breathing heavily and a cold sweat trickling down the back of my neck. I look over at my friends and find that they are still sleeping. The woman's laughter is still ringing in my ears, and I realize what just happened. That meeting really happened, and my dream was my conscience witnessing the whole thing. But what did any of what they said mean? How are the Maidens real? Most importantly, how does the woman who is obviously behind so much pain Remnant has suffered, know me?

I glance over at Yang, and nearly groan when I see that she is still sleeping, peacefully.

Laying back on my hammock, I close my eyes and fall asleep again. Even though I get the feeling that this confusion, shock and the pain of losing those who are close to me is only going to get worse as time goes on.

* * *

 _AN:_ Longest filler chapter ever. For me at this moment.

But anyway, the plot thickens. How does Salem know Sander, and vice versa? Well, it will be revealed in due time. BTW, I have seen the 1st episode of RWBY Volume 4 and it's amazing.

For all of you who have Rooster Teeth 1st accounts and have seen the episode, there is a boy working alone at a farm in the beginning of the episode. Do any of you get the vibe he's going to have a major hand in helping the main characters in later episodes?

If you have theories on how this volume is going to go, please tell me in the reviews.

Anyway, I shall see you next time, and have a great October.

PS: I have a Star Wars Halloween special I'm going to post soon. As for what it is, just wait and see.


	33. Chapter 32: Enter Tyrian

**Sander Blanco's POV:**

* * *

The next few days pass by as we sail on the pirate ship, going around the curve of Sanus.

It is a long and mundane journey with nothing really happening, but I suppose we should be grateful for this, considering the rest of the planet is in chaos. The Huntsman and Huntresses that were attending Beacon are now scattered across the continents of Remnant, trying to save the villages from destruction, and just barely holding on. To add to the chaos, the kingdoms are accusing each other of knowing what's going on and disagreement is spreading rapidly.

I fear that if we don't stop this now, a catastrophic civil war will break out. One that might wipe out all humanity and Faunus on this planet!

On the 4th day of our journey, we are all called to the deck for an announcement. To my surprise, we are pulling into an old-looking dock and slowing down. On land, there is a rocky beach in front of a thick, dark green forest. "Alright, people. Listen up. We weren't prepared for this journey, so to complete it, we need to stop here at our usual pit stop and pick up supplies. Get to it!" Captain Edmund said briefly, then the crew starts gathering together their supplies.

"Actually, sir. I would like to help out with your journey. You have given us free passage all this way, so this is the least we can do to help." I said, making up my mind.

Edmund looks surprised by my outburst, but nods in the end. "Agreed. Get into the TigerShark armored cars we've put together and go to the coordinates programed on it. There's an old military base that Vale used during the Great War. All of the supplies are already set out and waiting. However, only 2 people can travel at a time."

I nod and go back to my friends. "If this was a year ago, I would object to this idea. But now, I agree that this is the best course of action." Weiss said nonchalantly.

"OK. So who's going with who?" Penny asks.

After some debating, it's decided that Penny will go with Max, Weiss with Blake, Pyrrha with Jaune and Ruby, and Yang will be going with me.

Once we all split into groups, we go down below the decks, where I learned that 10 armored transportation vehicles, called TigerSharks, are being stored. The rest of the crew have left to go off while some members take the remaining cars. Me and Yang walk down, lift up the door, and get seated on the leather seats.

I insert the key one of the crew members gave me into the keyhole. The TigerShark roars to life, and a ramp lowers down. Using the experience I have with operating vehicle, I drive the tank-like vehicle out of the ship and through the forest at aggressive speeds. Yang whoops with joy at my speeds while we follow the built-in map between us to reach our destination.

It is an old concrete tower with a large barbwire fence wrapping around it. All of which are covered in moss. Powering down the vehicle, I get out and walk towards the base. Inside are layers of pre-prepared supplies for various trips to the spot and a potential hideout if things got bad. Together, we start grabbing as much as we can and load it into the back. Dust cannonballs, preserved food, salt, medicine, and many other things. It takes about 15 minutes to finish loading everything up.

But when we do finish loading up and the vehicle's closed, I hear a familiar psychotic voice. "Well, well, well. If it isn't the person I'm looking for."

I turn around to see the madman, Tyrian, leading a squad of 10 White Fang members. "You have given us trouble finding you. I have orders to bring you to my master, but not in one piece." Tyrian says, then laughs manically.

"What is with this guy?" Yang asks as we get into fighting positions and prime our weapons. All at once, the White Fang and Tyrian charge at us. I face Tyrian while Yang does battle with the grunts. I must say, Tyrian is almost inhumanly fast. His twin blades attached to his wrists clang with my sword as we hack and slash at each other. Then he flips onto his arms and does a spinning kick with his legs. I duck under the attack and slash at his arms. He jumps into the air and lands on my sword. As quickly as I could, I duck under his slashes and he jumps off my blade and comes charging at me. Ducking under his speedy charge, I slash upwards at his right arm. He shrieks a little in pain, while…purple blood oozes from his body? He then looks at me, pure hate in his eyes which turn purple and charges at me, faster than ever. I go onto the defense, parrying his strikes or dodging some of his, while I give quick slashes and run around him. But Tyrian is just too agile. He clangs his blades against mine, and forces my blade aside, then jumps into the air and gives me a double kick to the stomach. I reel back from the wound, a hard truth hitting me.

I just can't beat him in a match of speed. For now, all that can be done is to retreat and learn more about who he is.

Subtly, I Force Push him away from me and look at Yang. "Yang, we need to leave!" I call out, then run to the TigerShark.

Normally, Yang would protest about leaving a fight like this unfinished. But she is smart; she knows that right now, retreating is the best course of action, and even she has to admit that she would be hard-pressed to win against the White Fang grunts and the psycho who managed to beat me in speed.

She follows me to the transport, but leaves her door open to send some last-second shots. Deciding to take a leaf out of her book, I pop my own door open, transform my sword into my shotgun, and activate the vehicle before starting to drive it. Tyrian tries to lunge at me, but my trigger finger is somehow faster. The Dust blast sends the man flying back while Yang sends her own shotgun blasts at the White Fang grunts while I drive away.

Within minutes, I am back at the ship and see the White Fang attacking the ship. To my immense relief, everyone is already back at the ship and managing to hold the enemy at bay. Then I notice the metal device being set up behind the ranks, and nearly freeze when I realize it's an EMP. Not having the chance to comprehend much else, we barrel through the White Fang's ranks, and drive up the ramp made and into the ship. Once the ramp is pulled up and the doors close, the ship lurches away from the docks. But then it stops. The truth hits me again: The White Fang are blocking power so the ship can't escape. Then without the device...I get out of the TigerShark and open the back. "What are you doing?" Yang asks, looking confused.

"That's an EMP down there. We need to blow it up." I said quickly, then grab one of the Dust cannonballs. "Please help me. It's really heavy." She nods and grabs the other end of it. Together, we walk up the ramps to the bunks and to the deck where the fight's still raging. Edmund, who is firing down with twin triple-barrel shotguns, looks at us and his eyes light up in realization.

"Of course. Men, grab the cannon!" Edmund orders. As instructed, one of the crew members goes to the built-in terminal and punches in a code. Unfortunately, a sniper shot goes off and the pirate collapses on his back, his blood staining the deck. As that happens, the deck splits and a large 5-foot long cannon emerges. Moving quickly, me and Yang walk to the front of the cannon and put the cannonball into the hole. "Fire!" Edmund roars.

As instructed, another crew member pushes a button behind it, firing the cannon. The cannonball manages to hit its mark. A large explosion goes off, sending White Fang members flying in all directions and the EMP device destroyed. "Let's get out of here!" With that, Edmund runs to the steering wheel and pushes some buttons on the side. The ship roars back to life and we speed away from the base.

I sit down and release a breath. But then I look over and notice everyone staring at the dying man. Edmund puts the ship on autopilot and runs to his crew member. "You're not dying on me. Look at me."

"I'm sorry, Captain. I can't go on. It's…been…an honor…" With that, the crew member dies.

Edmund looks absolutely shocked. Then his expression morphs to pure anger. "We shall prepare a funeral. Then we shall go to war against the White Fang. No one messes with my people and gets away with it." He said, sadly, then grabs the dead man's dog tags.

Later that day, as the sun starts setting, we are all on deck and look at the body is put into a bag. "I shall do the honors." Penny said, wearing her mask. She walks to the table the body's on, and lifts it up. The body slides off the ship and into the ocean.

"May the Gods guide your soul to the next life." Edmund said, placing a hand over his heart. We all do the same gesture, pay our respects in one way or another then split up and go our separate ways.

While most of us go back to our cabins to get some rest, I sit down on the sides and stare at the sunset.

"Hey." Yang says, then sits down next to me and stares at the sun setting. "I know you're upset about that man's death. So am I. But we need to have faith we will win."

I look at her and feel sadness. "I wish you are right. Except I get the feeling that we'll see much more death before we win."

Yang gives a long look before smiling. "I know. But I also know that this ship is full of people risking their lives to save the world. If we just remain true to who we are, we can kick their butts to kingdom come."

I can't help but smile at Yang's upbeat attitude. Despite my sinking feeling that things are only to get worse, I have to think about the things I'm fighting for and nothing will stop me from winning this war.

* * *

 _AN:_ So, the White Fang have regrouped and have already drawn blood.

Well, I can promise that things are going to get really interesting later.

I will see you next time and have a Happy Halloween!


	34. Chapter 33: Beginning of the End

**Yang Xiao Long's POV:**

After that fateful day, we kept on sailing around the curve of the continent and never stopped again. Luckily, we have enough supplies to allow us to keep on going, so stopping would have been pointless.

But 2 days of absolute boredom and nothing to do have left me going stir-crazy.

Fortunately, this day is different from the others. We are once again called to deck around 4 o'clock. Once we are all present, Edmund makes his big speech. "Alright, people. I 'ave been talking with my first mate and we agree that we will reach the canal  
between the 2 main bodies of Sanus by tomorrow morning. We shall have dinner as usual, but afterwards, gather your gear, prime the ship's weapons, and stow away everything you won't need into waterproof compartments. I believe that those scurvy White  
Fang dogs will attack us then. If you consider for 1 second givin' 'em mercy, think of what thay did to Jason. Ye're dismissed."

With that, we all go our separate ways and start making the preparations. I decide to help clean my weapons along with my teammates, or sneak some peaks at Sander's Madness magazines just to pass the time on how bored I am, packing everything up. But  
if the Captain's right, tomorrow will be the moment of decision. We either save Remnant, or the disagreement will spur the kingdoms to war, and the Grimm will wipe out the villages faster than ever before. So no pressure, right?

Eventually, we start a game of Remnant the Board Game to pass the remaining time until the dinner bell goes off. Packing up the game as fast as possible, we run out of the dorms and to the mess hall for some food.

At dinner, I felt the minds of everyone present. Their minds speak of either excitement at the fight that's to come or fear of whether or not they will make it out of the fight alive. Aside from that, everything was rather uneventful and we go back to  
our room. Once there, we get changed into pajamas and plop ourselves on the hammocks and start falling asleep one by one.

Sander falls asleep next after reading an issue of Madness, putting it up, and wishes me good night. I lay on my hammock, staring up at the ceiling. "Hey sis." Ruby said.

I look over at her, and see her face. Her face and eyes show worry. "I just wanted to let you know, that I've been ready for tomorrow for a while now. At the same time, I'm worried that I will lose you." Knowing what to do, I get out of my hammock and  
wrap her into a hug, a gesture she returns.

"I know you're scared, Ruby. So am I. But we need to have our heads held high and do what we do best."

"Fight monsters?" Ruby asks uncertainly.

"Somewhat. But we fight as a team. Together, nothing will stop us." I can only hope I'm really as confident as I sound, but this is for Ruby.

She looks at me, and I can see the doubt vanish from her eyes. "Yeah. You're right. Just know that I love you, sis."

I smile brightly. "You too." Having said my part, I go back to my hammock, and once I'm settled, I peacefully fall asleep.

I feel like I was out for just a few seconds before I feel a hand on my shoulder and I am being rocked around. "Wake me up in five." I mumble, trying to get some more sleep.

"Oh, OK. Just thought you should know that we have reached the canal. See you up top." Sander said, then he starts walking away. In a few minutes, I roll myself out of my hammock and get dressed. After slipping on my twin gauntlets, I walk out of the  
room and taking the stairs, walk up the staircase. I am surprised to see how thick the morning fog is. Everyone is already on hand, looking around. I notice Sander and half of our friends on 1 side, with Ruby and the rest on the other side. I walk  
to Sander and stand next to him, absently noticing he isn't wearing his armor.

"Morning." He said, taking my hand.

I am about to make a response when suddenly, an explosion goes off and rocks the water around the ship. "Ambush! Everyone, let everything loose." The first mate calls out and everyone starts firing their weapons and the cannons to the cliff side on the  
left, the side of the canal we are closest to. As the sun rose in the sky, the fog starts dissipating, revealing a large army on the other side.

There are mounted turrets and bunkers firing shots at us, with White Fang soldiers also firing their weapons at us and missing. We start firing back with everything we have. The cannons are forcing the White Fang soldiers back and some lucky shots even  
damage a bunker, but it's not enough to make them retreat. "Man, these guys are relentless." Sander said, helping in firing the cannons as he is too far away for his weapons to do much good.

After another 5 minutes of fighting, the White Fang stops shooting. "Something's up." Mumbled a crew woman.

"Hey. What's that?" Another person shouts, catching our attention. In the middle of the water, floating in front of the ship, is a large metal tower. "Oh, no. That's an EMP tower." A third crewman shouts.

"Pull away!" Edmund shouts, a hint of fear in his voice now. But it's alreadytoo late. The tip of the tower starts glowing blue and the last thing we need to happen happens: The ship starts powering down.

"Well, now we're sunk." I exclaim. Despite a few people give chuckles at the pun, they know I am right.

"Who could have built that tower? For someone to come up with the design ofbuilding a floating EMP that can take out an entire ship. Whoever built must have been a genius and an a**hole." Sander said, looking thoughtful.

"Sir! They're bringing out heavy cannons!" Ruby says, looking over the edge of the ship. Everyone looks where Ruby's pointing, and I can feel our hearts starting to sink as the White Fang setting up heavy turrets that fire rockets and priming them. Then  
the worst news of all is heard.

"Sir, we're out of cannonballs. We blew through them forcing back or killing their soldiers and trying to wipe out the bunkers."

Edmund is stunned. Out of any effective artillery, too far away for their TigerSharks to land on the water and the water's too deep for the vehicles to ever reach the shore, and since I learned about weapons from Ruby's nonstop talking, the cars would  
be torn to shreds.

"Men, abandon ship. Get the lifeboats ready and gather any supplies we need. We're going to land on the other shore." The command was loud enough for the crew to hear, but not loud enough for the enemies on the shore to hear.

At hearing those words, everyone starts going to the sides and forming lifeboats. But at the rate they're going, it's already too late. "You 9, come here." Edmund said, waving me and my friends over. We walk to him, and I can see in his eye that he knows  
he's not going to make it.

"I know that we're not going to make it out today. But we never really stood 'er chance against what's to come. But ya'll do. Jump o'erboard and swim to the shore. Before you go, I would like to wish you good luck on y'er journey."

We all look at each other, the magnitude of the situation just starting to sink in. But he's absolutely right. Penny looks at the man who's been a part of her life, and for the first time ever, I see her shed a few tears. "Goodbye. Thank you…for everything."

Not another word was said before booms go off. We look back and see that the cannons have started firing on the ship. Unlike the gun blasts, the cannons are far more accurate. The deck creaks and groans under us, some boards even cracking already. Knowing  
we don't have any more time, we all jump off the side of the ship, just as a cannonball hits the deck, making it explode. We land in the water a second later. Poor Blake's eyes are wide and she looks absolutely terrified of being here.

But having no other choice, we take a deep breath and completely into the water. Seeing no other way, I grab Ruby and use the Force to create a layer of air around us. Sander apparently has the same idea, and does the same to the rest of our group. They  
look stunned to see this happening, but we are distracted by an awful sight:

After several more explosions, the pirate ship starts to sink into the depths of the ocean.

* * *

 _AN:_ Well, now they are in trouble.

How will the group travel to the White Fang's headquarters? Will they all make it alive?

Tune in next time for when the journey progresses.


	35. Chapter 34: Small Thoughts

**Sander Blanco's POV:**

Once we land in the cold water, I realize that we need to stay under the surface for a long time to give the Faunus terrorists the slip.

Knowing that, I concentrate heavily on making self-sustaining air bubbles around me and my friend's heads as we sink to where we're just a few feet above the canal's floor, watching the once mighty pirate ship sinking to the bottom and crashing, causing the dust on the ground to fly up. Above us, the bodies of the ship's crew are also sinking, their blood turning the water red.

What follows next is a moment I'll never forget. I feel my blood start to boil like water in a hot pot, and an overwhelming thirst for bloodshed fills my head, as well as my eyesight briefly tinting red. I've never felt the Dark Side of the Force tempting me, but I know for certain that this is something else altogether. When it starts getting harder I breathe, a sense of reality kicks in and within seconds, my blood returns too normal and the raging storm in my mind clears, leaving me rattled.

Before I can think on what to do, I faintly hear the sounds of a roaring engine. I look up and notice a speed boat sailing overhead, heading towards a lifeboat that is trying to get away by going as fast as it can, but not fast enough. Several gunshots go off, resulting in a White Fang soldier falling dead out of the boat, before said boat runs right through the lifeboat, making its occupants jump into the water. Several more gunshots go off before all of them are dead. The whole experience is a lot to take in, but I can only imagine but Ruby and the others are going through.

The boat stops in its tracks and several voices begin talking, although distorted, and 3 more White Fang soldiers with harpoon guns jump into the water, missing us altogether because we're already at the bottom of the canal, and start swimming in the opposite direction. Taking advantage of the moment, I point my hands up. All of them understanding my intentions, I take the lead and we swim to the surface and walk onto the rather spacious boat. Luck is on our side for once, as no one else is aboard and the other boats are speeding towards the lifeboats, which are trying to reach the opposite shore. Even from a distance, I could hear the sounds of a firefight going down.

"What now?" Weiss asks, looking horrified by the unnecessary violence the White Fang is exerting. Even on their own kind.

"Wait a second, I know this type of boat. This is a TX-237 speed boat. It's standard in the White Fang for when they would travel across the oceans to go from continent to continent. It's lighter duty, even if it has some mounted weapons, but most importantly, there are lots of hidden compartments to put stuff in." Blake said, shaking heavily from being in the water. Slowly, Blake's meaning clicks in place.

"Oh. So we should hide in these compartments and let the White Fang take us to their big, bad layer?" I said.

"Well, I wouldn't put it that way, but yes." Blake responds.

Just then, we hear another speed boat coming towards us. "Hurry!" Blake said, lifting up one compartment full of Dust ammunition. Ruby and Weiss jump into it, and Blake closes it. Sure enough, as Blake said, there are hidden compartments everywhere. After hitting the deck until the other boat passes by, I get back up and look under the turret on the front. Sure enough, a rather empty compartment is there. I wave over to Yang as the 2 of us are the last ones still exposed on the boat, and she jumps into the compartment. I jump in as well and close the secret door just as I hear the sounds of breaking water, and wet footsteps.

"Nothing. Looks like our brothers and sisters have taken care of the rest of the crew…and their guests." One of them, obviously male, said.

"I don't know. You think our leaders will be mad because we killed them, because you heard them. They wanted the guests alive." Another voice, this one female, responds with a panic in her voice.

"Doesn't matter. What's done is done, and more humans are dead. Let's report this to Dr. Watts and hope he doesn't deep fry us." A third voice said, then I feel the boat moving under us. I had to adjust myself continually so I don't go bouncing around, and I can hear Yang doing the same next to me.

The boat trip felt like it lasted hours before finally slowing down and eventually stopping. I then hear the sounds of footsteps walking away from the boat. Taking a chance, I gently lift up the secret door and look out. I feel Yang's hair brushing up on my face as she too looks out. We are in a giant cave, with the boat tied by rope to a concrete dock, which leads to a giant lab, full of monitoring technology and other docks where more boats are tied up. On the far wall, high up, is another room protected by thick glass. On our dock, flanked by 4 White Fang soldiers, is an official looking man with a fair complexion. He has black hair that's greying on the sides, a black moustache, and piercing hazel eyes. For some reason, the blood in my body starts to boil again, but force the feeling down. The strange is: I feel a faint connection to the man, like he's a fellow member in some group.

"So…you mean to say the people whom I specifically asked you keep alive, you kill anyway?" Watts asks, a neutral tone in his voice, yet promising ruin for the leader of the squad. At least they think we're dead. Makes travelling to our destination a lot easier.

"Yes, sir." The man said, with his 2 companions at his side.

The man, whom I'm assuming is 'Dr. Watts' lifts his hand and to my horror, a stream of yellow lightning flies out of his hand and electrocutes the White Fang…sergeant? He sinks to the ground, shouting in agony*. After a few more seconds, Watts cuts off his semblance and looks down at the squirming Faunus.

"Hmph. Able to dish out the pain, but not able to take it. Pathetic. Take him to the infirmary to get him patched up." Watts said. Two of the Faunus at his side grab their fallen comrade and haul him away. Then another group of White Fang soldiers walks up, this one lead by a woman with short red hair and deer horns sticking out of her mask.

"Sir. We captured some of the pirate crew. What do you want us to do with them?" She asks, standing at attention.

Watts looks down at his Scroll for a few seconds, then looks up smiling. "Very good, capturing them. I want you to take them all to the cells with the rest of our test subjects. I've been waiting for more fresh test subjects to test some prototype technology I've created on for quite some time. Now go. I want to go back to the castle and report these events to our mistress." With that, the group walk off towards one of the boats to unload the 5 unconscious prisoners. Once done, they left the cave lair and silence reigned.

"We're good." I said, but before I can climb out, Yang pulls me back down.

"Sander. What's going on? You've been acting...stranger than usual. When we were in the water, for a second you looked like you would slaughter them out of pleasure. I just want to know what's going on." Yang said. With the faint light, I could see her face: she looks really unsettled.

I look down at my hands then answer. "I don't know, and I hope to find out when we're done. Whatever is going on, it's source is in my blood, since it starts boiling when I reach that level of anger. But don't worry about me. I can fight it. We will figure it all out in the end." Yang doesn't exactly look convinced, but she rolls with it anyway. Seeing the concerned look on her face remain, I lean over and kiss her on the cheek. "Don't think I'm going to leave you anytime soon."

That cheers her up much more, and we leave our hiding spot. Luckily, all of the White Fang soldiers have already left. The rest of our group are already out and waiting on us. Penny is the most frantic of us. "That madman just said that Alec's still in their hands. We need to hurry."

"We will. I think I see an emergency exit up there." Ruby said, pointing to the room high up. I look up, and sure enough, there is a door labeled 'Emergency Exit.'

"Let's get going." Yang said, then starts running to the far wall. Sighing at her eagerness to run into battle fists raised, I dash after her, followed by the rest of our group. A few feet to the right of the glass room, but on our level, is a thick set of double doors that read: 'Testing Room 101.'

"Alright. Who has any bright ideas on how to get in?" I ask, but then Pyrrha walk forward, and holds her hands out in front of her. They start glowing black and the doors slam apart, sparking a little from the power.

"Well, we could always do that." Jaune suggests, looking around for any potential enemies that could come at us.

I glare at him a little, before Jaune walks through the door, turns left, and walks up the staircase. One by one we follow him up to the top. At the top step, we notice the room. It is rich with monitoring technology, and 2 scientists monitoring the devices. Sneaking up behind the scientists, I silently unsheathe my sword and slam its butt into the back of one of their heads. He groans as he falls to the ground unconscious. The other one looks at me in stunned surprise before Yang punches the man, sending him into the wall and falls to the ground, also out cold.

"Nice one. Come on guys." I said, waving them over to the door. But just as Blake is about to join us, she notices something.

"What's this?" Blake asks, then walks onto a large, strange circle. I'll admit, I'm a little curious as well and walk towards it, absently noting an odd-looking gun that starts large, but slims to the gun point and has lines on it. I even notice the label: 'Ray Beam. Experimental until further noted.' As we all look down at the circle, I crouch down and look at it. Below it, I can see tons upon tons of machines. This, along with that ray beam, is probably one of those prototypes Dr. Watts invented. Ruby finally takes notice of the gun, squeals in delight, and tries to pull the container open so she can look at it. Before I can figure out what this circle's purpose is, a beeping sound goes off.

' _Initiating test operation.'_ An automated voice said, then a glass tube slams down on us, forcing Ruby to step back so she isn't crushed.

"Hey!" Yang said, punching the glass tube mercilessly. Sadly, it's much tougher than normal glass, so it doesn't even crack. A second later, the circle slides down into the ground, revealing the machinery all around us. As we sunk into the ground, a strange sensation came over me, only getting stronger and stronger, along with my surroundings getting bigger and bigger. Soon, we stop going down, and rocket back to the surface. Once it reaches the top, it comes to a complete stop.

To my shock, I am rocketed way high into the air, then crash onto my back. Letting out a groan, I look around to see my friends also trying to get up and looking as good as I feel. Which is like I was just made from an illegal experiment at a turd manufacturing plant. Thankfully, those don't exist.

' _Operation complete. Remember: Walk around the area outside to test your new size, record everything, and return too normal in the labs at the castle.'_ The automated voice said.

A horrible idea of what just happened sunk in, and I look up. My idea is correct, as the terminals that were once our size if not a little bit shorter, are now the size of skyscrapers. "What's going on?" Jaune asks, a hint of fear in his voice and radiating from him due to the Force, a bit more than what he was like way back at our Initiation. But this time, I don't blame him one bit, since I'm almost as scared as he is.

"Jaune, I think we just got shrunk in size." Pyrrha said, the absolute shock written on her face.

It took many minutes for the statement to sink in.

* * *

 _AN:_ Well, things have just gotten interesting. As for Sander's blood acting up, that will be very important to tie my theory on what Salem is (without Sander or anything. I'll explain it my theory in full detail later). Modified by Volume 4 contents of course.

*Unless I am wrong, I am fairly sure this is Dr. Watts's semblance in the canon show, and creating technology is his specialty. I mean, how can one have the last name of Watts and not be remotely related to electricity of some sort?

As for the shrinking in size, I read Michael Crichton's Micro and really liked it, so decided to incorporate it here.

Anyway, see you next time when the gang finally arrives at the enemy headquarters.


	36. Chapter 35: An Ancient Fortress

**Yang Xiao Long's POV:**

It took several moments for Pyrrha's statement to kick in.

But when it does, I start to feel a hint of panic. I have been through enough things in my life to be considered an adult, some of the more radical moments occurring when I met Sander, but being shrunk in size? That's a new one altogether.

"How in the world was this thing even created? I know my family has few ties to the Atlesian military, but I'm fairly sure that they don't have technology remotely like this." Weiss said, her voice higher in pitch. Both Blake and Sander look lost for words on how to describe this situation. After a few seconds, Max speaks up, his voice also a little higher.

"You know what? This is perfect for our endgame plan. We use our new size to sneak into the castle that will most likely be our enemy's headquarters and improvise from there."

I know that's the wisest way to go, but I can't help groaning a little. I'd prefer fighting my opponents head on any day of the week, but needing to know when to exercise strategy in combat is vital as well.

"Let's just go. I don't want to stay shrunken long enough to feel any side effects." Blake said with slight impatience.

Looking at each other, we do the unthinkable and run towards the tiny gap between the door and the floor. What was mere steps for us in our normal size now feels like we're running miles just to go those feet. After what feels like an eternity, we finally leave the hidden laboratory, only to arrive in a field with grass that is almost 3 times our current height.

"Come on. Let's at least find a dirt mound and get some orientation on where we are." Sander said, looking around warily.

"Agreed. I already see what you are looking for." Pyrrha said, pointing to the right where, sure enough, there is a lump of dirt that's tall from our viewpoint. Running towards the mound, we run up the dirt hill that's starting to sink under each footstep I take until I reach the top. To my disappointment, I don't see anything aside from fields of tall grass, nothing of real worth that can help show us where we need to go.

"So, what now?" Jaune asks, holding his sword out in front of him. I too am expecting to be attacked, so I have my gauntlets primed. But before any of us answer, the dirt under my feet start shifting, and a creature our height crawls out. A swarm of black ants with black eyes and sharp pincers, slamming back and forth and staring at us with hunger.

Seeing no other way around it, I push a hidden button on the side of Ember Celica and they transform into miniature lightsabers. Sander nods at me, and also transforms his weapon into his lightsaber. The others saw our training with the weapons and after some explaining, and seeing the opportunity, Pyrrha and Jaune helped us train with the sword style.

Igniting the twin swords, I slash at the ant's head and it slashes through the ant's natural armor. Although now that we're their size, it was rather difficult. Even Pyrrha is having a hard time breaking the shell, but is managing to make the ants bleed out by cutting them in the chinks.

Within minutes, we are surrounded by the dead bodies of the ants that attacked us. I am breathing much harder than I should have, which is very concerning.

"Well, may I say we're in serious trouble?" Penny said, looking around for any more enemies.

"Come on, lighten up. We're not in trouble yet." Ruby said confidently. But I know what Penny means, and reluctantly agree.

"Sadly, she's right. We can't see where we need to go, our auras drain much faster than usual thanks to our new size, which will take us hours just to go several feet. Unless we hitch a ride, we're going to have problems." I explained to Ruby. She looks down at the ground, a sad look on her face.

We all look at each other, silent for a few minutes and pondering what to do next. Until a loud crunching sound goes off. But judging by the sound, whatever is coming isn't another ant. We walk out of the way when a giant walks past us.

It's a fully armored White Fang soldier, out on patrol with a turret in his hands and a backpack on his back. Wait…out on patrol?

"Guys. Let's hitch a ride on this guy. He'll take us to where we're going." Blake said. I stare at her, thinking that Sun Wukong has rubbed off on her a little too much, but nod and we start making a mad dash.

Ruby reaches the man first and starts crawling up his pants leg, followed by the rest of us, just hanging on. Now having hitched a ride, we start climbing up higher. I reach the backpack and reach the top, helping others up. Jaune is the last to climb up, his armor weighing him down slightly.

I look over the side of the man's head, and nearly gasp at what I see. We're in the middle of a vast grass field, with a thick forest on the right. In front of us is a transportation ship, full of White Fang soldiers. In the middle of the ocean is a large island. Even from here, I can see that the place is heavily fortified and the large stone castle on top of the cliff to the right of the island is hard to miss as well.

"So…are we in the clear?" asks a White Fang woman soldier. For some reason, she sounds really nervous.

"Yes, we are. Our blockade is still sturdy. Let's just hope those scary bandits stay away from us for a while." The soldier we're riding on says. That caught my attention.

"Come on. We captured their leader. I think that without her, they have already run off. Hop on, we're going back to base." A 3rd soldier said.

The soldier we're riding nods in agreement and starts walking onto the boat. I look over at my friends, who were crawling into a space in his backpack full of Dust ammunition. Knowing instantly what they're up to, I jump across, slide down the top, then crawl into the side pocket the rest of us are hiding in.

As soon as I land in the spot, the engines roar to life and we speed off at a surprising speed. We aren't going that fast, but fast enough to stop after only a few minutes. The worst part about the ride is that my head starts hurting slightly before the pain goes away.

Once the boat stops, all of the soldiers get up and walk off. Since we're in a mesh side, we can see exactly what is fortifying this place. I can hear Jaune gulp a little in fear, seeing what they went through to set this place up, and I don't blame her.

We see military Jeeps and tanks driving by, thick concrete bunks with large cannons sticking out of them, as well as trenches in the grass-less ground to protect from an aerial assault, all surrounded by a thick barbed wire fence as a final touch. Judging by the number of soldiers here, I get the feeling that the entire White Fang army is here.

After several more minutes, I can feel the soldier we're riding on starting to walk up a hill, past another set of barbed wires, and finally come to the castle. I heard the creaking of doors swinging open and our soldier walking onward. Behind us, the metal gate slams back into the ground and a drawbridge retracts, sealing us in. I look over at my friends, and notice Penny already climbing out of the pouch, and jumping to the ground.

"What's she doing?" Weiss whispers, a little shocked.

"Penny's got the right idea. We need to return to proper size now." Sander said, touching his head and wincing a little. He's right on his 2nd sentence. We aren't meant to be in this size without protection.

Seeing no more need to stick around, I start climbing out of the side pocket and do a backflip, landing on my feet. My head aches immensely, forcing me to grip it, but it goes away. Looking up, I notice we are in a large corridor with 2 curving staircases going down to a hall. In the center of the floor is a symbol of a Beowulf's head, with 2 broadswords crossed underneath. Even shrunken, the giant black banner with the White Fang symbol emblazoned in red on it. I look around to get my bearings on this place. On the left, down the stairs, is the door I've been looking for: 'Dr. Watt's laboratory. Do not enter unless authorized'.

"I see it. Let's get going." Blake said, running towards the railing and taking a leap of faith.

"Let's do it." Ruby said, jumping off with Max, Jaune and Pyrrha.

"Yeah!" I exclaim, jumping off and landing on my feet. Trying to stick to the shadows of the old stone castle, we silently run down the corridor and under the door into the room. Standing just as tall as the others are 2 Faunus scientists, examining several more pieces of experimental technology Dr. Watts no doubt created.

Sensing that the scientists are going to look at us, I dive under the white metal desk. "Look, there's our way out of this." Weiss said, pointing. Sure enough, there's a large circle in the center of the room like in the previous facility.

A new wave of pain, more intense than the previous times, hits me, making me grip my head. "It's getting worse. We need to reverse the shrinking machine's effects now." Blake said.

Jaune and Sander start talking for a few seconds, Sander patting Jaune on the unarmored shoulder at the end, then look at us. "Alright. We have a plan. We grab those mini planes over there, and fire on them. While they're distracted, Jaune will turn on the reverse device and return to normal." Sander said.

Wait, what mini-planes? Sander saw the confusion on my face, along with the others, as he points to the far wall. There, strapped into the wall, are several miniature planes. These planes are jet black, with thick spikes jutting back instead of a fin on top, a bottom with creases on it, a cockpit that can support 2 people, and thick black wings on each side. I see Ruby grinning widely as she too realizes what they are.

"Are those Never Dies, fighter planes used by Vale during the Great War?" Pyrrha asks, shock written on her face.

"Yep." Sander responds, then stands back, saying, "I'll watch from down here. You get them." Not wanting to know what happens of caught like this, we towards each of the planes. There are only 6 of the legendary planes, so me, Jaune, Ruby, Blake, Penny and Max are only ones who get to fly them. I look at the controls, and only just realize I have no idea how it operates. Closing my eyes, I sink into the Force and it gives me a mental map of how each nob and lever works. I grab the red lever on my right and pull it towards me.

The engine reeves to life and I start driving, my friends on either side. I pull up on the steering wheel and I fly into the air. "Hey!" One of the scientists exclaims, looking at us in shock. "Guys, I don't know how these planes operate." Blake said over the comm lines between the planes.

I push a red button on my left, and the surface of the wings pop off, revealing missiles inside. "Uh oh." The scientist with the wolf ears said, then made to push the alarm button on the wall. Thinking I got a basic handle on it, I push the green button next to it. Two missiles, 1 from each wing of the plane, are fired and hit the scientist. To my surprise, electricity crackles around the Faunus who's back is turned, and falls to the ground.

"Well, that's shocking." I said, only to be met with groans. Before we could talk anymore, the other scientist grabs a strange-looking gun from the many racks of experimental weapons and fires it. A giant net is shot out and tries to capture us. Using the surprising mobility of the plane, I pull up and I ascend at a rapid rate, but it isn't enough. Suddenly, the outside of the plane glows black and I am forced up at a rapid rate, just barely dodging the net. "Thanks, Pyrrha." I said, looking down at the ground. Only to see Pyrrha leaning heavily on Sander, looking exhausted, while the duo and Weiss figure out how the miniature computer that hopefully operates the resizing device works.

"Take this!" Penny shouts, before firing her own set of missiles, but missing since the scientist dodges the,. "This is why I dislike aerial battles. I suck at them." She mutters, before pulling away.

"I got this." Max said, then fired his own missiles. But these actually hit him in the face and he falls to the ground.

"Guys, the device is on! Come on!" Weiss says, somehow making her way onto the communication lines. Excited on what she said, I push the wheel forward and land on the ground, coming to a bumpy stop.

I open the cockpit, jump out and start running. All around me, my friends are landing and doing the same. Just as I reach the humming circle, my head nearly splits in pain and my body aches as well. Gripping my head, I fall in and rolling around in pain.

Through the pain, I notice Ruby and Sander trying to get to me, but then the ground falls out from under us. As we fall, a strange sensation comes over me and I start feeling much better. Seconds later, I crash to the ground. The circle flies up and finally stops like before. Groaning, I sit up and look up. Except this time, the room is much smaller.

"We did it. We're alive and in the base." I said triumphantly. Looking over, I notice my friends also groaning in pain, but smiling as well.

"That we are." Sander said before his head hits the floor.

* * *

 _AN:_ Yay, the gang are alive and ready to meet the enemies.

Now, I'm fairly sure that the planes I invented aren't in the show, but I am sure that a fighter plane OF SOME SORT was used during the Great War (possibly Remnant's version of World War 1).

Anyway, next time, the group finally gets to meet the Witch of Darkness (I think she's called, but not sure), Salem.

I will see you then, when the final battle starts.


	37. Chapter 36: Death's Lair

_**Last Edited: 12/3/16**_

* * *

 **Sander Blanco's POV:**

I groan one last time in pain before forcing myself back onto my feet.

We don't have much time to lose, and quite frankly, it's really a miracle we haven't been caught yet. "Alright. So, we're inside an enemy headquarters and back to our proper size. Any ideas on where we can start Phase 2?" Weiss asks, looking around for any threats.

Phase 2 is the 2nd stage of our operation at this fortress. No matter how much faith Ozpin put in us, he understands that just 9 of us can't take out the army here by ourselves. So, for this stage, we would find a nice, hidden alcove to stash a transmitting device so the newly assembled army of Vale can invade this fortress and finally end the White Fang. While we wait on the army to come, we would do some considerable damage and sabotage their military hardware to create an even greater advantage in the coming battle.

The Force beckons to me, and I get a basic idea. "I don't know. But I do know that we should split up into 2 groups. Yang, we're going to find their leaders and start taking them out of the game. The rest of you, find and free Alec and do some serious damage to this place." I said sternly.

Max is looking around, somewhat awestruck by the technology here. "Hey, guys. Before we continue, are you sure we shouldn't borrow some of this technology? Some of it impresses even me."

I too decide to have a look around. As he said, there are many sorts of strange, yet impressive-looking contraptions ranging from guns to weird masks and thick armors. The oddest of said masks is a sleet gray mask with 2 eye holes and lots of little holes spread around it and that the top right has a nasty cut to it, outlined by what looks suspiciously like blood. Before I can make a choice, the Force speaks to me again, and I look to my left, and notice a metal briefcase on a table. I walk to it and open the case.

Inside the case is a long, highly sophisticated looking synthetic arm. Its outer metal gleams silver while the inside is black, and the silver metal fingers are long and slender. For some reason, the Force wants me to take this arm, so I close the case and take it off. "I think we should keep this safe for now, and nothing else. Taking too many weapons would just weigh us down in the long run. But I get the feeling this arm might come in handy later." I said, giving it to Max.

"OK." He nods then holds it at his side.

"Alright, you guys know what to do. Start up the tracking device and release all the captives here, then start sabotaging their work. Yang, as painful as this must sound, we need to severely wound, or kill if it comes to it, this base's leaders." I said, looking at all of them. Each one of their faces hold a hint of fear that they won't make it through the day as well as motivation to fight. No one in this group wants to back down from this fight. I must say, these are some of the bravest people I've ever met and I am glad to be their friend. I never really had any friends in the Jedi Temple, where most of my early life was spent. I mean, I had a few friends, but I was too rebellious in nature to ever truly get to know them.

"Let's do this." Yang said, pumping her fists together and a wide grin on her face. Although she doesn't look happy about the idea of killing anyone, so she'll go for mortally wounding. I hope it just stays that way, as well.

"That's the spirit. Remember, this is to save our homes. For Remnant." I said triumphantly.

The others start smiling and we make our way to the door. "Hey, what should we do about them?" Blake asked, pointing to the 2 Faunus scientists, still unconscious. Penny waves her cutlass around and the 2 fly into a storage closet, after which she slams it closed.

"Good enough?" She asks.

"I suppose." Blake answers, then we walk towards the door. Blake opens it a notch and looks around. "All clear for now."

She opens the door all the way and we all walk out. The White Fang are most likely patrolling other rooms, but this hall won't be empty for long. I feel yet another pulse from the Force, and looking around, notice a hidden door in the shadows, on the wall behind the curved stone staircase. Behind the door, I can sense something sinister. I walk towards the door, Yang behind me, and open it.

All I see are staircases that go down, the tunnel lit with powerful lightbulbs. Slowly and cautiously, I walk down the steps, holding Yang's hand to make sure we don't get separated. After a minute of walking, I start to hear voices. I look around, and see a wooden door on the right. Opening it up, we slip into the tunnel. Before us are 2 chairs that are empty but have names on them. Apparently, these are the seats for 2 different White Fang lieutenants. "Yang, I have an idea. Hold still." I said, then snap my fingers, and use the same Force technique I used to disguise myself as a mailman to defeat Jigo.

But this time, both of us are disguised as White Fang soldiers in full armor. I have to say, it's really strange seeing Yang in White Fang armor, even if it's a disguise. But only now do I start to pay attention to the loud shouting nearby. We look forward and see a sight I haven't seen before.

A whole gathering of men and women are present, sitting around a large metal table with holographic screens on each side, as well as names. Thankfully, it shows that the empty seat that we're directly facing would normally be occupied by Cinder, but due to her current condition, she can't attend. In the process, I notice the crazy man who attacked us at the pirate's outpost, with his name plate reading 'Tyrian.' The buff red-haired man, Hazel, is there, as well as Dr. Watts and even the master thief, Roman Torchwick. But with them are the leaders of all the branches of the White Fang, including Menagerie's 2 leaders, Corsac and Fennec Albain.

"Enough!" A woman said. She has dark skin, short yet messy black hair that nearly hide her tiger ears, her orange brown eyes are filled with unbridled disdain, and she's wearing a black and red outfit that reveal the tiger-stripe tattoos on her arms. The name plate implanted on the table describes her as 'Sienna Khan.' "So, this is the order of your mistress? Pull all of our armies back here so we can attack and wipe Vale out completely, then destroy Shade Academy, followed by the rest of the kingdoms?" She asks coldly.

"Correct." Hazel said in his deep voice. Yang and I look at each other, more horrified than we might look being caught watching porn. Thank goodness I hate that shit; saves me a lot of embarrassment in the long run.

"You do realize that such a feat is borderline impossible, if it should even happen. Even for the growing numbers of the White Fang, this...strategy is borderline suicide?" Sienna said, her tone becoming colder than before.

"That's where you are wrong. It is possible to wipe out the kingdoms if you hit them just right. You forget that one of our members who would be sitting here, Cinder, single handedly made Beacon Tower fall and Vale is now cowering behind their walls. This is the perfect time to end their kingdom. As for Mistral and the other kingdoms, I already have a total of 5 sleeper agents weaved into their ranks. Just with a push of a button, and they start killing everyone they can get their hands on, thanks to my mini-bot technology. Not to mention Professor Lionheart's cowardice has left him open to be a valuable pawn." Dr. Watts said, a calm look on his face.

He did what?! Ozpin needs to be alerted about this. Apparently, Sienna also looks a little rattled by what she just heard, but before she can argue, alarms start blaring loudly. _'Attention, attention. All prison cells have been released. All prison cells have been released. This is not a drill.'_

"Oh great. Come on, let's go and kill all those scumbags we've been holding here for too long anyway." Sienna said, standing up and pulling her large metal mace at her side. The rest of the people around the table also stand up and run towards the staircase. I hear thumping on our right and look to see 2 female White Fang leaders running at us.

"Hurry up. We have problems." One of them said, but I trip both of them and they fall on their faces. For good measure, Yang punches the back of both their heads. They let out a moan before falling silent.

Yang looks down, somewhat scared. "Are they…"

Knowing what she's scared about, I kneel and place my fingers on their necks. "Nope. They're still alive, but out cold. Help me carry them." I said, lifting one of the women on my shoulders. Yang shrugs and picks up the other lieutenant with ease. Canceling our disguises, I kick the door open and walk all the way to the command room. Once at the bottom, I drop my unconscious warrior onto the table facedown. Yang follows suite.

"Well, we certainly suck at our job. Now those leaders are going to put down our little distraction. What new ideas do you…have…" Yang asks, then her sentence stops.

I feel the disturbance as well and look towards the back of the circular room. There, on the floor, is a circle pattern with distinct lines around it and a lever on the wall. The source of the dark vibe I got before we came down here is radiating from that spot and is much stronger than before.

"I sense it too." I said, then I slowly step towards the strange circle, getting a good idea on what it's for. "Looks like we haven't fail just yet. Let's see where it takes us." With that, we both stand on the circle and I pull the rusty lever. For some reason, an odd sensation comes over my fingers, but it quickly goes away and I pull the lever down. The circle lets out a hiss of steam and drops.

The make shift elevator falls at an abnormal rate, but we somehow manage to stay grounded to it. Eventually, the elevator stops at the bottom, having arrived at its destination. "Whoa." Yang breathes. We find ourselves in a giant chamber, with columns supporting the tall ceiling, and candles hanging on brackets and statues between each column and a stain glass window behind the statues. The chamber branches off in 3 directions: Left towards a wood door, right towards another wood door, or straight towards the even larger set of double doors. The Force is beckoning to me, torn between telling me to leave or to proceed. "Where are we?"

For the first time in my life, I'm lost for words. Much more so than when I went through the shrinking device. I walk straight down the red carpet, taking in the surroundings. Curious, I decide to have a closer look at the statue, held up by a pedestal that's shaped like skulls, and gasp. The statue is of a man with billowing black robes, blood red gems for eyes and outstretched arms, a sharp scythe hanging at his side. But what makes the statue so recognizable is the fact that the left half of the man's body is human and a warm smile is on his face, while his right side is Grimm-like. Literally, his right arm has bone armor with spikes on it while the right side of his face is shaped like a Beowulf, except the markings on his face are different and more numerous. This entity is the embodiment of the 2 halves of all sentient beings. "Deithos." I said, both awestruck and terrified at the same time. I have no idea whether or not I'm understanding this right, but I could have sworn I felt the Force recoil a little at the name.

"Who?" Yang asks, looking a little nervous at being in this area. Not that I blame her.

"Deithos. The god of death and darkness. One of the 12 gods first worshiped here on Remnant. I did a whole paper on that particular subject for Oobleck's history class. But why would there be statues of Deithos here?" I explain, then ask with a little concern, seeing the statues. It's like their eyes are following me. After looking at the statue, we continue walking down the corridor. However, the more we walk, the stranger I feel. My hair and skin start tingling madly and my body starts heating up.

Worried, I look at Yang, and to my shock, her hair is on fire and her eyes are already red. "Hey. What did I do?" I ask, backing up a little.

"Huh?" Yang asks, looking at me and her eyes widen. "Sander, what's happening to you?"

"What are you talking about? Your semblance is already kicking in. Red eyes and all." I respond, confused on what Yang is talking about.

"That is really weird, but I'm not the only one changing suddenly. You're…paler than you usually are." Yang says, looking even more disturbed. Paler than usual, what is she talking about?

I am pulled from my confusion when I realize that we have reached the double doors. Only now do I notice the 2 smaller statues of men in full Vale-style battle armor on each side. The interesting part is that the statue on the right has a stone sword sticking out of the man's chest, while the statue on the left has no sword, but a gash on the same spot.

An idea clicks in place and look around. One of the Deithos statues is holding a small, stone broadsword in its human hand. Grabbing it, I walk back to the statue of the man in armor and insert the sword into the chestplate. "Oh, that's lovely." Yang said, her face betraying her disturbance at the thought. But suddenly, the doors creak open, permitting entrance inside to the council room. The place where my dream took place. The stone table in the center, the bone thrones surrounding it, headed by the throne made of purple Dust crystals. There are more stain glass windows in this room than the hall and has a crystal chandelier hanging overhead along with a table behind the crystal throne, holding even more candles. Seriously, what is up with these candles?

I walk towards the table and stare at the candles. I stretch my arm out, and to my shock, the flame actually dims considerably and finally notice what Yang was talking about. My skin is much paler than usual, so white its literally deathly. Even my blood veins are visible, which are a deep red color and swirling with some orange. My fire semblance has been revealed in a way I have never seen it before. "Sander. You might want to see this." Yang said, looking out the window. Knowing what's out there already, I look out and see the vast desert-like landscape, with the jagged cliffs, enormous purple crystals and pools of blood where Grimm are crawling out of and walking away.

I ask the big question on both our minds: "What is this place?"

"A sanctuary." A cold, hard voice responds. Me and Yang turn around to face the white-haired, deathly skinned woman of my dream walking towards us. "The last active sanctuary to those who worship Deithos with both their heart and soul." She then faces us, her glowing red eyes piercing me and a wicked smile on her face. I must say, despite my efforts to reel in my fear, this is the most scared I've been in my life. Even the courageous Yang looks frightened by this woman's very presence and unnatural appearance. "Ah, but where are my manners. My name is Salem. I would like to know the names of the people who think they can put an end to my plans."

I stare at her briefly. Then I notice Yang getting into a fighting stance. "You can call me Yang."

Nodding in approval, I do the same. "As for me, my name is Sander Blanco. Together, we are going to end your reign of terror."

* * *

 _AN:_ So, lots of new material I've been waiting to post is now done, and another cliffhanger! (Sorry about that, I guess I unintentionally do a lot of those).

As for Sander's…odd condition, find out next time, when the final battle begins.

I look forward to posting it and will see you later. Later, y'all.


	38. Chapter 37: An Unexpected Truth

**Sander Blanco's POV:**

When I introduced myself to the witch, Salem, her eyes widen in shock for a second and stares at me strangely, then shifts her gaze to Yang.

Then her face hardens up again. "You're still alive? I heard…oh. You escaped and used Watt's technology to remain hidden. You're very crafty, I'll give you that. However, your attempt to stop my plans will fail as I have my own ally to fight with me." Salem said, then lifts her hand and makes a loud snapping noise with her fingers. Footsteps start echoing in the room and another female enters the room. She's tall, wearing red and black armor and a white mask shaped like a Nevermore head. The woman takes her mask off once she's at Salem's side, revealing a woman with glowing red eyes who bears a remarkable resemblance to Yang.

"Is that you, Mom?" Yang asks, looking downright flabbergasted. Then I remember this woman along with Salem. They both appeared in the Jedi Trial of Instinct.

"Don't bother trying, dear. She's under my power now. After years of trying to track me down, she has grown careless, which has led to her downfall." Salem says, grinning at the end.

I stare at Salem and pull out my sword, facing the craziest woman I've ever met. "So, you beat Raven in combat. If you think that I'm just going to just stand by and let you take this planet, you've got another thing coming."

Salem stares at me again, then nods. "I wouldn't have it any other way. You fight for the freedom of the people, while I fight for a new order that will truly make humans and faunus equal. Let's see which ideal is truly more beneficial." With that, she holds out her right hand. A black cane appears, with a black statue of a Beowulf on top. As quick as a lunging snake, she leaps over the table and slashes her cane at me. The power of the slash is so strong, the air produced forces me and Yang back, temporarily knocking us off-balance. It was just the time Salem needs to hit me in the stomach with the tip of her cane.

I have to admit, Salem is strong, almost unnaturally strong, but my aura protected me from taking any serious injury. I fly out of the council room and start falling towards the top of one of the tall cliffs. Before I hit the ground, I remember all those hours of playing games with Weiss, especially her little brother, Whitley, and making jokes about how useless rolling on the ground after falling cuts off all possible damage would be in real life. Well, it's time to test that theory, because if it doesn't work, I'll turn out like jam. Within seconds, I curl into a ball and hit the ground, rolling forward.

Despite a sore back, I'm still alive! I get back up and look down at my hands in amazement, still a little creeped out at how pale they still are. "Holy crap! Looks like video games aren't full of s%#$ after all." I said, but my moment of triumph is cut short when I hear another crashing noise. I look up and see Yang and Raven also falling from the suspended in midair council room to the cliff where I'm standing on and crash nearby. They start getting up and attacking each other. I would have watched their fight in awe, except that the Force warns me of incoming danger, and I turn around to see Salem walking out of a black portal and walking to me.

My normal sword just won't cut it for this fight. So turning the nob to the correct place, I spin my blade, which transforms into my lightsaber and activate it. She stares at the weapon with an even greater hatred than I have seen on 1 person's face.

She lifts her open hand and a ball of black fire appears in it. "Take this." Then throws it. I barely dodge the fireball, which strikes the ground and forces Yang and Raven to jump back to not get incinerated. Then I turn back to Salem and am shocked to see her facing a Beowulf Alpha. "I give you these gifts, and attack the boy." Salem said, holding her hand out. Suddenly, a blood red rune appears in her hand, the center of it having the shape of an eye. It flies up and lands at the Grimm's feet, sealing the Grimm inside. It roars in pain, then starts transforming.

The Beowulf Alpha grows long, straight bone horns pointing back, and 2 long, slender arms with sharp red claws pull out of the Grimm's back, giving the monster 4 arms after it stands on its hind legs. It roars at me and charges on its hind legs. I dodge to the left, slashing my lightsaber while I'm at it. The Beowulf loses its balance and falls over. Taking advantage of its weakness, I slash downwards, cutting the Grimm's head off.

"Impressive. But futile." Salem says, charging at me. I roll to the side and slash at her, but she's much faster. She ducks under my slash and tries attacking me with her cane. I jump out of the way, but skid back, right to the edge of the cliff. Salem lunges at me, cane at the ready and slashes. I parry the strike and try slashing at her again. But she parries me and we keep it up until I hear a loud cracking noise. We both look to see Yang, hair burning brightly and shouting, diving down at Raven, her fist cocked back into a punch. Raven dodges out of the way, leaving Yang to punch the ground.

The impact causes cracks to form, which start growing at an alarming rate, before the tip breaks off and starts falling. Acting quickly, I stab my lightsaber deep into the rock and hang on for dear life. It doesn't really help when I crash into the ground face first. I roll onto my back and stare up at the blood red sky, breathing heavily. Suddenly, I notice Salem standing over me and lifting her cane up. For some reason, she looks really sad about something, unlike the rage I saw earlier. Just as she stabs her cane into the ground, I pump my Aura into my blue bandana still tied tightly around my head. A bright white light surrounds my body, which Salem's cane hits. He force of the recoil my shield produced leaves her stumbling. Using the pause, I roll to the left and onto my feet, scooping up my lightsaber in the process, and slashing at her legs after reactivating it. She jumps over my low slash, spins backward and lands on her feet.

"It is pointless to fight me anymore, which is why I give you this one of a kind offer: Join me and together, we will lead the people of this world to a better future." Salem said, lowering her cane.

I just let my lightsaber drop a little out of shock and confusion. Why was she offering me this? After thinking for a second, I go with the safe answer to give myself time to come up with a plan. "Before I give an answer to you, I have a question. Why would you ask me that question, and what makes you think I'd say yes?" I respond, barely noticing that Yang and Raven have stopped fighting in order to hear this exchange of words.

Salem looks down, shadows covering her face so I can't see it. "Because you're different. Better than the rest of the scum who wield the weapons you do. You also have special abilities few others have. I know of your full potential, even your parentage, and if you join me, I can teach you how to use your powers and we will rule this world, bringing it into a golden age."

Now my shock has been outright replaced with confusion. How would this madwoman know about my family or the Jedi? She was born here, on Remnant, not in my home galaxy! "You're bluffing. What would you know about my powers, but more importantly, what do you know about my family?" I ask, my voice calm but holding suspicion on the extremely remote chance she's not lying.

She looks up at me, her red eyes glowing a little, not out of anger but of pure pain. "Because, Sander Blanco…I…am your mother."

* * *

 _AN:_ I have to confess, this wasn't my original idea. My original idea was Sander being a descendant of Jedi Master Revan, but since that concept's sort of cliché now, I took a completely different turn, and I like it way better. Not to mention it makes much more sense in the long run. Don't worry, everything will make sense later.

I will see you next time.


	39. Chapter 38: Betrayal and an Old Face

**Yang Xiao Long's POV:**

* * *

The last words that left Salem's mouth left me speechless.

How can Salem be Sander's mother? Even my hypnotized mom is staring at Salem, her eyes widening from under her mask, shaped like a Nevermore's helmet.

Sander, however, has the most accurate reaction. His face is slack and his skin is even paler than ever, which I wouldn't have thought possible since his transformation earlier. Now his skin is almost sickly pale. "No…you lie. It can't be true. That's impossible!" He shouts, backing away from her.

"It is. Search your feelings and you'll know it to be true, Alexander." Salem said, still staring at him intently. Wait, Alexander? Where did that come from? Sander, however, looks rather taken aback at hearing that name. He then looks down at his hands, his expression a million miles away. But when his gaze returns, he looks devastated and defeated. For the first time in my life, I felt really bad for him.

"I guess…I have known you were my mother the moment I saw you and how you know my birth name that only the Schnee family knows. You always seemed familiar to me. But now, I just feel sorry for what has happened to you. I promise that I will shatter your delusions and get my real family back." Sander said, lifting his saber up again and holds it out in front of him, a determined look etched on every inch of his face.

To my surprise, Salem sighs. "Fine, then. I guess I won't hold back on you anymore. I shall show you my power and you will regret ever rebelling against me." She holds up her cane and grabs the top. She rips the top off, revealing a long, wickedly sharp single edged blade. "This is the end for you." She said as she drops the cane part then dashes at Sander. He lifts his blade up in time to block the attack and the two go back to fighting again, much harder than before. I heard a whooshing noise and lift my blades out just in time to stop Raven's sword from striking me.

Sander and Salem's conversation kept ringing in my ears, but one line stood out to be: "I shall shatter your delusions." With a start, I realize what I can do to end this. Salem said before our fight started that Mom was under her control. I mentally chuckle at the idea of literally beating the sense into her, which is exactly what I'm about to do.

At the last split second, I duck under her sword strike and try giving her an uppercut. Unfortunately, she steps back just in time to dodge my strike and slashes at my mid-section. In a split second, I jumped into the air, over Mom, and land behind her, landing a punch at her face when she turns around. She stumbles from the punch and I go in for a slash from my own lightsaber and send her sword flying into the air before it sticks into the ground.

Raven glowers at me then runs at me, prepared to give a punch. I turn my lightsabers back into Ember Celica which clip back onto my wrists and grab Raven's fist. I instantly power up from the strength of the impact, and throw her off balance. I absently feel my hair burning brightly but for once in my life, now's not the time to focus on that. I lunge at Mom and give her a titanic punch to her stomach. The impact was enough to make her keel over in pain. Taking advantage of her pause, I prepare to give her one last punch to knock her out. But she obviously faked being hurt as when I got in close, she punched me in the face, probably revenge for earlier, then rolled to the side and pulls her blade out of the ground in my moment of pain absorption. In another second, she brings her sword into a stabbing position and lunges at me. In that moment, I saw my first real chance at victory.

Ducking under her sword strike, I get into her defenses and give her an uppercut. This one is successful as Raven starts flying into the air for a few seconds before landing on her back, her mask thrown off to reveal her face. I run at her fallen form and before she can get up again, I place my hand on her shoulder and use the Force to examine her thoughts. As Salem said, I find a thick fog surrounding her mind, but it's mostly on the surface. Taking my other hand, I charge some Force energy into it. "I'm sorry, Mom." I said, then slap her across the face. As I hoped, the darkness breaks and starts to literally dissipate from around Raven's body. Then she opens her red eyes again and looks at me.

"Hello, Yang." She said, a cool tone, still staring at me.

"Hi, Mom." I said, slightly taken aback at the calm manner that she talked to me. "Just promise me that when all this is done, you're coming home with me."

"We'll see about that." She said, a cocky tone in her voice then we both watch the high-scale fight between Sander and Salem. "I must say. It is shocking to hear about their…relationship."

I just nod, then stand upright and decide to run towards the fight to help Sander win. Just then, he and his mom break contact and stare each other down. "I'm afraid that this is where you die, Sanderos." She said, then lifts up her open arm, charging up a red rune in it. Before I can reach the 2 fighters, I crash into something hard and fall onto by butt. I look up and thanks to the glint of the illusion of the moon, I notice the reflection of light, meaning that a barrier had formed around them.

"Hey! What gives?" I shout in. They both look at me, then seem to notice the barrier. What confused me is that even Salem looks confused.

"I didn't make that barrier." She said, thoughtful. Then they heard loud steps and whirl around. To my surprise, I notice Cinder walking towards the 2, her swords drawn. She looks different than before. Her skin is paler, but there is a strange hunger in her eye and the blood veins in her body are visible and jet black. "Cinder? What are you doing?" She demands, her tone betraying a hint of annoyance.

Cinder doesn't respond but keeps walking to Salem. What happens next is the turning point of the battle. Cinder looks at Salem with her single amber eye then responds. "My lady, you are truly strong. But no matter how much you deny it, you still love that boy you have revealed to be your son. That kind of weakness is not what our order stands for, so I must cleanse our great cause and avenge the old order for what you did to them." With that she brings her blades forward and impales Salem with both Cinder's blades, then in a burst of strength, throws Salem aside and leaves her rolling on the ground and stops about 3 feet away. I stare at the scene, absolutely horrified. Then Cinder turns to Sander. "As for you. You will pay for taking my eye, and you will face defeat not just at my hands, but at my father's as well."

Just then, the pools of what looks like blood starts to form small waves, before something huge rose up from the depths. It is a huge humanoid shaped machine that is dark green, with the exception of the long, sharp silver blades that are curved up like hooks. Its head, while having no neck, is round and has many lines that resembles a human face, all of which are glowing dark red and with malice. The scene of it flying above the blood pool, its circular feet skimming the surface and liquid dripping from the blades, makes it a truly frightening one.

Just then, the oval body opens up and a projection appears in front of them. The projection takes the form of a tall man who is definitely the creepiest man I've ever seen. I don't even Salem is as intimidating as this guy. He has pale skin, spiky black hair and a single eye which is the same color as Cinder's, even having the same hunger, but not as strong. His right eye is covered by a circular metal device that covers the entire eye socket and has a symbol of a vertical infinity symbol and a sword sticking through it. But the worst part is that his left arm is deformed and brown, with spikes sticking up on the forearm and his fingers are long, slender and the nails are sharp. The rather detailed hologram smiled evilly at Sander.

"Hello again, Sander. In case you have forgotten me, I am Darth Kadabra. Don't bother fighting back, because you're already dead." The hologram of the now-named Darth Kadabra said, glee in his voice. My eyes widen in horror, as this is the Sith lord that Sander has told me about. If I can't break this barrier, I have to hope Sander will be able to defeat them and end whatever is going on.

* * *

 _AN:_ Darth Kadabra and Tiel have both appeared in all their glory.

Next time, the final fight will go down.

I shall see you then.

PS: Thank you for all the support you have given me. I truly do appreciate it and have a wonderful Christmas season.


	40. Chapter 39: The Final Countdown

_**Updated: 3/29/17**_

* * *

 **Sander Blanco's POV:**

What the actual fuck just happened?

First Salem, who I just found out is my mother, is turned on, while Cinder also accuses Salem of something she did to her own order in the past, now Darth Kadabra shows his ugly mug of a face after an entire decade of being dead? All I can figure out at this point is that I hate this sticky situation. After my mental rant ends, I gain a desire and promise myself that I will avenge every single innocent being who had their blood spilled by order of the Peverell family.

"If you really want to get your royal ass beaten that bad, then come get some." I said, then spread my legs apart, with my right leg in front of my left as I learned at Beacon so I can maintain a solid stance, while holding my white lightsaber out in front of me.

Cinder smirks widely then also gets into a fighting stance, this one with far more offense in mind. "We'll see about that. Now that I am a member of Salem's order, I have learned many new tricks. Like my new weapons." With that, she presses some kind of button on the bottom of her twin blades and flips them upside down. To my surprise, the blades retracted into the hilt, revealing that they are lightsaber hilts. She pushes a now exposed red button and out shots twin beams of dark purple light. Unlike my almost oval-shaped beams, Cinder's lightsaber beams flicker a lot like they are made of fire.

"You should know that Cindy had been trained by me, and I learned from Darth Malak himself. You'll never defeat us." Kadabra said, before the projection cuts out and returns to Tiel. Kadabra's last words got me thinking heavily, but I can't dwell on it as Cinder lunges at me and strikes with all her might. I must say, her strength is immense. I only barely manage to push her away and roll to the right before she can cut my head off.

I am going into this fight exhausted after surviving being shrunk, fighting Salem and some serious Grimm, and now I am facing an even crazier woman who's hellbent on putting my head on a rod. So in summary, I am pretty much screwed up the ass. During the pretty one-sided fight where even my speed isn't enough to gain me an advantage, I quickly think about what the holocron said and I finally realize why the Force encouraged me to listen to the story of Darth Revan all those years ago.

During that legendary battle millennia ago, when Revan fought Darth Malak at the legendary, borderline mythical Starforge, Revan managed to manipulate his former apprentice into giving into his rage and hate, making him become sloppier and sloppier until Revan managed to gain a solid advantage and ultimately defeat Malak. That tactic is what I must pull off to win now. And I know just how to do it.

I have never insulted anyone in my life (taunted or teased, yes, but never insulted), but my years of reading Madness will help me formulate some pretty creative ideas on what to say. Although I might hate myself what's about to come out of my mouth for I could go too far. "Hey Cindy. If your sandpaper dick of a father was so almighty, how come he got his ass handed to him with hot sauce during the war?" I ask, rolling to the left to dodge another slash.

Cinder hisses in anger then slashes down at me with both her blades, only for me to block them with my blade held horizontally. "What did you say?" She asks, anger weaving its way into her voice already.

"Yeah, you heard me right. I heard the Emperor once had a crush on my old mentor, which was what cost him the victory in the final battle. That makes you a complete hypocrite because you made fun of your dad the same way you did my mom. By the way, how is your mother? I've heard another rumor that your mom is not Kadabra's wife, Imperial Empress Darth Kione. Did your birth mom refuse to join your dad in his empire when he took over Gaia and made it the Empire's heart or was she a prostitute who was too similar to mustard for his liking? You know, yellow and cheap." I ask, parrying another strike and swiping her feet out from under her with my left leg. Before I can slash at her head and end this fight, I feel a ripple in the Force, and just barely jump back to avoid a wide slash from Tiel's left hooked blade. Tiel's right hand transforms into a giant gun with a cannon design on the end*.

"Oh snap." I said then run for my life in a large circle while Tiel starts blasting at me with his gun arm. The blasts produced plasma shots that the Empire was infamous for, only far more powerful because they are fueled by the Dark Side of the Force itself, and demolished the rocky terrain upon impact. While I'm running away from the shots, I notice Cindy getting back and glaring at me. The hatred in her amber eye is truly unbelievable and the blood veins all around her body are becoming more pronounced.

"You will pay for speaking of my father like that." She says darkly, then lunges at me, swinging both her lightsabers at the same time. I parry each of the weapons while also backing up a little from the new-found speed she is now exerting. Though she's not quite as fast as Tyrian, she's certainly faster than me. Eventually, she gets careless and strikes with both blades at the same time. Using my strength, I repel the attack and send her reeling back. Then I go in and try to stab her in the stomach with the lightsaber in my left hand; a move which was and will forever be the most idiotic thing I do.

For in that moment, Cinder recovers completely from my parry and slashes upward in an X-shape with both her blades, slicing my left arm up to just below by biceps clean off in the process.

Then in a quick motion, she kicks me and sends me rolling on the ground. I get onto my knees and look at the stump that was my arm. It's bleeding pretty badly and the blood is darker than normal, almost tar-colored. Instead of screaming in pain, I feel a desire for vengeance and to destroy her for harming my family surge through me. Instantly, the exhaustion I once felt slips away and raw power that I can just barely keep under control courses through my veins. The blood that was coming out of my missing arm suddenly clots, turning even darker than before. With my new-found strength, I get back onto my feet. Instead of my body creaking in pain, my muscles react far quicker, causing me to stand up in a matter of seconds. My senses are also far more acute than they ever were before; I don't think even the Force can enhance my senses much more than they are now. I can sense Yang outside the barrier, horror radiating from her by what she witnessed, and I can even sense Raven several feet away, complete surprise radiating her. But the last lifeforms I can sense are more foreboding. I sense Salem and somehow know that she's holding on to life, but only by a thread. I sense Cinder and Tiel staring at me with pure hatred, and even Mercury and Emerald are up in the Council Room, making their way to our makeshift battlefield, pain being their primary emotion. Their arrival means I have to finish this duel now.

"So these are the abilities I've felt the tip of all my life. These are quite useful." I murmur, staring at my right hand, which is still its deathly white color. I look at my shadow and feel a surge of power, like someone encouraging me to do something. To my immense shock, I get the craziest idea of all times. My powers seem to be based off the very shadows and a different kind of darkness, so they will be my trump card.

"Your doom is at hand. Do you have any last words before you die?" Cindy said, walking up to me and holding up her lightsabers to the same level as my neck. Tiel looms over us both, and I can now sense his smugness, genuinely thinking that he has already won. Time to put my radical idea to the test.

"Yes. I'm sorry for unnecessarily taking you serious with my insults earlier and losing to you. Now it's my turn." I said, my voice a little deeper and holding a deadly calm to it I have never heard before. Cinder looks at me, completely confused, before hissing in anger and bringing her blades down on me. But I am much faster now.

I lift my arm up and my lightsaber soars into my right arm, and after activating it, block her attack again. Luckily, I can sense the shadows bending around me, taking a condensed form. "Honestly, Sander. What makes you think you're going to win?" She asks almost seductively, pressing on me. I now feel a faint aura coming from her, trying to possess me. But my new strength is stronger, pushing it back.

I just grin and push back. "Here's my answer. You're starting to get sloppy and I was just distracting you so my real goal could be attained." She looks at me, confusion on her face again, before being slammed to the side and crashing to the ground, her lightsabers falling out of her hands and deactivating. A complete copy of me, with the exceptions of the clone made from condensed shadows being completely black with red lines running all around the body. Those same blood red lights even make up my copycat's eyes, which are glowing the way Salem's eyes did. In his hands is Star Blaster, but in sword form instead of lightsaber form.

I have to say, I nearly smirk in satisfaction when I see how shocked Cinder looks. But instead of basking in the feeling of doing something she can't, me and my copy start running at the real threat in this fight: Tiel. It points its blaster arm at me and fires plasma at us, but with my newfound speed, I am able to roll out of the blaster's ways, and getting one of my famously radical ideas that the Jedi looked down upon, throw our swords up at Tiel. As hoped, they get lodged in the side of the blaster gun. Tiel tries firing at me, but can't. My lightsaber and its sword copy are much more powerful than the weapons Tiel's armor is designed to resist and within seconds, the armor starts melting and fusing with itself as the metal seeps into the wound. Let's just hope that said metal jams the gun, preventing it from transforming back into an arm. Satisfied by the damage I caused, the 2 of use the Force to pull the swords back.

Tiel roars in rage and tries stabbing me and my clones, but we jump up and land on the arm, which is still because the blade is trapped in the rocky terrain. Using my training with my friends at Beacon, we start running up the metal arm, past the sharp blade. Tiel tries wiggling the blade or outright shake it, but I am not stopped by the shaking arm. "No!" Cinder roars, realizing what I am up to, and starts to try and follow me by using her Maiden powers…if she really has those powers. However, I manage to beat her to the top. It also helps that I Force-pushed her down and away from me to buy myself more time. Soon, me and my shadow reach Tiel's shoulder, and from orders because of my mind link, my doppelganger leaps gracefully over Tiel's head and lands on the other shoulder. We get out our weapins again and reactivate them.

Just then, I feel Cindy arriving to where I'm at and tries to slash my back, but I jump before it makes impact. My shadow follows suite. Together, we turn towards Tiel's stationary head and slash at a diagonal. It's really difficult to do since I only have 1 hand now, especially when I feel the air pulse with Tiel's arm trying to slash at me, but the damage is done. Tiel roars in a mechanical fury, clutching its face with its one good hand. I notice the tips of an X shape that is left across the war machine's face, hopefully crippling it. A thick, dark liquid that feels really strange starts to drip from the fingers, but quickly stops flowing.

I land on my feet, in a kneeling position, and get back up and turn around. My shadow clone is finished and had returns to being normal shadows. Tiel keeps on wailing in pain before glaring at me. But this time, there's a giant X on its face and the lights that make up his eyes are completely out, indicating that I blinded him.

Cinder stares at me and starts laughing manically. Now it's my turn to be confused. "What's so funny?" I ask calmly.

"Because you're about to lose. My allies are here and they will make you suffer." She said, then drops the barrier around us. What is going on? But then not the Force, but my natural senses go off and I sense the last thing I want to happen occur. Mercury and Emerald have already made it to the ground and are running towards us. I look in the direction I sense them and spot the duo I hold a grudge against.

Surprisingly, they are just staring at Cinder, fear on their faces. Cinder then smiles at her allies. "Ah. What perfect timing you have. I want you 2 to help me kill this boy and those 2 women once we're done with Sander!" She shouts, glee in her voice as she points at me. Doesn't she know it's rude to point?

Mercury and Emerald look at each other, then Mercury looks at Yang who is glaring at him with a disgusted look. What Emerald says instead stuns each and every one of us. "No."

Cinder's glee dissipates instantly and stares, her jaw dropped almost to the floor in shock. "What?"

"What the hell?" I ask, confused once again at the turn of events. There are enough twists today to make up an entire frickin' movie.

"What?" Yang and Raven demand at the same time, looking at each other in surprise before looking back at the traitorous duo who are looking really guilty about what they're doing.

Mercury sighs then starts talking like each word is physically hurting him. "We're done working for you, Cinder. We joined your cause originally because you promised us a new chance at a better life. I just…I just wanted to have a normal life, not one that involved killing people for money like my father wanted. My old man actually cut my legs off and gave me new ones so I could be more efficient in the assassin art. That is why I killed him; because I could finally escape his grasp and see the world in my own eyes. What do you do? You put us to do your grunt work, killing and framing others while a genocidal-plotting organization plots to wipe us out. No, we're done working for you."

I have pretty much lost the ability to speak. Such is the shock at hearing Mercury's tale in this. Yang is about as dumbfounded as I feel. Cinder just stares at her former lackeys for a few minutes before sighing. "Then you can just die with the rest of them." She then kicks both of her lightsabers into the air before grabbing them and re-activating the blades. She lunges at me, but Mercury interrupts the assault, firing several shots from the legs. Cinder dodges the blasts before charging at her former allies. Emerald tries to slash at Cinder, but she ducks under the blast and slashes at Emerald, leaving a nasty gash in her mid-section.

"Emerald!" Mercury shouts, then tries to kick her and use all his martial arts skills. I will admit, he is indeed talented in close range combat, but Cinder just dodges his blows and tries slashing at him.

This is the big break I've been waiting for.

Using the advantage, I keep my senses as sharp as possible and start running towards the fight again, transforming Star Blaster from lightsaber mode into shotgun mode. Before Cinder can slash Mercury in half, I raise my shotgun up and fire at her back. She screams in pain, dozens of bullet holes now on her back, before whirling on me. She then tries to slash at me with both her lightsabers, but I throw Star Blaster into the air, using the Force to make it transform back into my sword. Jumping into the air to avoid the slash that would have cut me in half, I grab my weapon and slash horizontally but low in the quickest motion I can. As I hoped, I cut off both her legs. The rest of her body fell off and slid to the ground. She stares up at me, her anger replaced with shock. "How? How did I lose to the likes of you?" She rasps out.

I stare back at her, my expression unreadable as I feel my power boost fading away. I should want to kill, want to make her suffer like she never has before because she killed so many just to try and rule this world. But I don't want to, because it just isn't me. I have already won, so why continue what is already done? "Because all of your power went to your head, you had dreams of ruling this world yourself. Even if you killed people to attain that goal. Anyone who goes that far to attain their goals will always lose one way or another."

Cindy looks down, thinking heavily, before looking back up, a remorseful look on her face and the blood veins dissipating around her body. "Perhaps you're right. At this point, all I want is to see my father again. But before I go, know this. My brother, Oswald, is still alive, but I left him back in our galaxy. If you ever return and he learns of my death, he will come hunting for you and he will try to kill you slowly and painfully. That's why I left him; he was too clever and sadistic to be around."

"I know, but I won't return." I say honestly, but get the feeling that I will be seeing him one day. Cindy leans her head back to the ground and goes limp. Just like that, Cinder Fall/Cindy Peverell passes on. I drop my sword and close her eyelids. A loud roar goes off and I look up, completely forgetting that Tiel is still active. It flies at me, the bladed arm pointed at me. I roll out of the way, only for the blade to impale itself into Cinder's body. In a quick motion, I reactivate my lightsaber and throw it at Tiel's chest, my accuracy aided by the Force. My aim is true and the blade impales itself into Tiel's chest.

The war machine screams in agony, the sound of screeching metal being the one sound I absolutely can't stand, before the engines keeping it in the air starting to fail. Tiel is swiping his blade around, trying to hit something, while the flight packs give out, causing the war machine to slowly sinks into one of the blood pits, too slowly for my liking. If only I could make it fall all the way. Just then, my eyes start aching and a Beowulf jumps up and grabs Tiel, pulling it all the way in.

As I was about to make any comment, another screeching sound that's shriller than before goes off, and a huge mass of black smoke rises out and tries to attack me. But I am too weak to put up a good enough Force shield.

Before the smoke, still screeching while dissipating at the same time, reaches me, Yang jumps in front of me, and a giant gold bubble forms around us. The smoke screeches even louder as it bashes against Yang's Force Shield, but the smoke…thing completely dissipates, leaving nothing.

The blood pit stops making ripples and returns to its stagnant state. We have won the battle.

* * *

 _AN:_ Well, that was an interesting chapter.

*For Tiel's gun arm, imagine a miniature version of a MAC cannon on a Charon-class light frigate from Halo as Tiel's gun arm.

I will be publishing earlier than usual next week as I am on break for Christmas and New Year's.

I will see you next time and have a Happy Holidays.

PS: A Christmas Special chapter for this story will also be published.


	41. Chapter 40: Ghosts of the Past

_**Note: This is easily the most vital chapter to this story, as it explains everything and key elements I've been eager to publish.**_

* * *

 _ **Updated: 02/13/18**_

* * *

 **Yang Xiao Long's POV:**

* * *

The fight down in this underground sanctuary is finally over.

Once I believe it's safe, I drop my Force shield and have a quick look around, adrenaline still pumping. No evil black smoke, whatever that was, no Grimm and no megalomaniacs who are out to conquer the world and trying to kill us. I turn around and notice Sander on his knees, coughing heavily and the stump that was his left arm just hangs there. I walk forward and slowly help him back to his feet. "Here. Take it easy." I said as we stand up again. I look up again and notice Mercury and Emerald looking at each other uncertainly. More like Emerald is looking up at Mercury, since she did get a slash to her stomach. "Why did you really turn on your friend like that?" I ask, slightly suspicious about what their reasoning was.

Mercury looks down, grief in his expression. "Because she had grown so obsessive with trying to kill you all. We tried to help her recover, but she would push us away, even after everything we've been through together."

With a start, I realize what's wrong and know it can't be anything else. Mercury actually had a crush on her before her desire for revenge became her first thought and starting turning her back on everyone, only addressing her friends when she wants to use them to hurt or kill anyone. "Just because you've turned your back on her now doesn't mean all of your mistakes will just go away." Raven says, walking to us and glaring at the duo coldly.

"We know. Which is why we'll be working to set things right. But it won't happen from inside a jail cell." Emerald responds, then she and Mercury turn around and he supports her as they leave our battlefield.

"If you run, you will be caught by less pleasant people and we will find you again." Raven warns them.

"Oh no, we won't be found. Not unless we want to be found." Mercury promises and they continue their trek towards the council room floating in mid-air. To my surprise, a bunch of rocks float in front of them, allowing them to leave via entering the chamber through a door disguised as one of the stain glass windows.

"Well…if I see another mentally broken person again, it will be way too soon." Sander remarks, staring at Mercury and Emerald leaving. Then his eyes drift over to Salem and his eyes widen in horror. "Mom!" He pulls himself from my grasp and runs towards Salem. Me and my Mom tried to help her stay alive, but it doesn't exactly look good. We follow Sander and watch from a non-intrusive distance as he starts staring down at Salem's face. "Salem. Please wake up." He pleads, desperation working its way into his voice.

I'm not sure how, but something about Salem feels different now than it did when me and Sander first saw her. Upon Sander's pleas, Salem opens her eyes and looks at her son. I am surprised yet again when I notice that her eyes are not the same. Instead of being black with red irises, her eyes are white and her irises being solid gold. I've seen amber eyes before, but her eyes are much more vibrant than amber or yellow, shining in the dark light. With a start, I realize that this must be where Sander got his somewhat golden eyes.

"Sander. I'm so sorry for everything I did, and all the pain you had to endure. Even your arm." Salem said, her voice above a whisper and full of sadness, gesturing with her head to Sander's stump, then continues, "Anyway, after that fateful day when you were…taken into the Jedi Order, I just lost control of who I am and my powers overwhelmed me, making me kill everyone who stood in my way. There's only 1 way to prevent you from making the mistakes I did." With that she lifts up her right arm. Within seconds, the blood vessels on that arm start glowing brightly and a bright red rune forms around her wrist. She lifts her hand up and touches Sander's forehead. Some kind of connection is made between them for several seconds before Salem pulls her hand away and settles it on the ground.

"But Salem…you just can't go. I need you to teach me how to control my abilities." Sander said, sounding more desperate than ever.

"But you already do know how they work. I wish…I could stay longer, but my time has come. Just know that no matter what happens, I shall always love you, Alexander Ozpin Blanco." Salem responds, looking up at Sander. Now that is interesting. And really, even after taking the time to get over it, I still never peg him to be an Alex. But before I could ask for confirmation, Salem leans her head back on the ground.

"Salem?" Sander asks, touching her neck with his right hand. I silently gasp, knowing what just happened. Sander starts shaking a little and I can hear him crying faintly. I walk over to him and place a hand on his shoulder. He looks up at me, and while he's trying to hide it, the devastation on his face is just as obvious as the tears streaking down his face. He then sinks a little and I catch him before he falls over completely.

"Sander, I'm so sorry for your loss. But we need to get out of here, now." I said to him, and raise him back to his feet but don't let go this time. Once he's up, Raven starts walking to us, but Sander looks at her.

"Please…take her body with us." He says. Raven stares at him before nodding and picking up the body.

"It's the least I can do." She says, before the 2 of us start walking across the rocky surface. Sander keeps walking, but I can tell he's lost a lot of blood and is just managing to not fall unconscious. As quickly as we could, we make it to the stone staircase, which immediately forms, the bottom of the floating boulders glowing dark purple. It took a long time, but we manage to climb to the top. Not wanting to waste any more time, I punch the glass with my empty hand, making the concealed door swing in and smash against the stone pillar.

Not standing around, I start walking at a brisk pace, hauling Sander at my side as we walk down the red-carpeted corridors until reaching the familiar stone circle in the center that took us to this strange place. Me and Raven step on the circle and after I pull the aging metal lever, the circle rockets upward to the surface. I almost forgot how stomach-churning this stupid thing is. But the bright side is that in seconds, the elevator reaches the ceiling of the domain and stops back at the council room. I look at Sander, and realize that he's back to normal, in that his skin is still pale but not deathly white and his visible blood veins are gone. Before I can comment on the change, a series of loud booms go off on the surface.

"So the final battle has already begun." Raven muses aloud, looking around warily.

"We need to get to the surface and help my friends." I said, wondering how they could have held out for this long. Then Raven notices the still unconscious White Fang lieutenants and actually smiles at me.

"If you did this, then you've got my respect." Raven comments, as we pass by the White Fang lieutenants.

"Sure. But please do promise to stick around after all this is over. Me, Dad, we all miss you." I blurt out as we ascend the staircase. Raven actually considers my words for a few moments as we ascend the staircase.

"I suppose…a change of faces can't hurt. I wonder what Tai's been up to all these years I've been hunting Salem." Raven says as we make it to the main hall. But instead of a wide hall, the far wall is completely blown off and several bodies of White Fang soldiers are laying on the ground, dead. Outside, hundreds of White Fang soldiers are scrambling around or trying desperately to fight back as 15 men and women, excluding our teammates, in prisoner garb fire at them with a 40 feet tall, red-armored robot, with a red robotic face symbol on his chest and curved horns on the helmet, standing in the center of the escaped prisoners and swinging his giant swords at the Bullheads flying overhead. Just then, a giant Atlesian-model spider droid walks to the field and opens fire at Max in his cybertronian form. A mechanical form that is truly a sight to see and be awestruck at. Max, shielding his face from the bullets with one arm, stabs the tank with the other, resulting in sparks for a few seconds before a huge explosion goes off, but not without a cost.

The blow sends Max reeling, and he falls to his knees, shrinking in size before returning to his human form. The prisoners, along with me and Sander's friends, are surrounding an exhausted Max, weapons drawn. Some of the prisoners are me and women either in their mid-20s to early 30s and looking battered. But the one prisoner who stands out is a 16-year wolf Faunus girl with long orange hair and holding 6 playing cards in each of her hands. I can sense the Force radiating from her, almost as strong as that boy Oscar but not quite as potent.

"Is that Alec…?" Sander asks lazily, staring at our surrounded friends. I look closer and notice the black-haired boy. But for some reason, he's got a blindfold over his eyes.

"We have to help them." I said, mentally preparing myself for another fight.

"Don't. My people are here and are ready to fight." Raven said, then sets Salem's corpse on the ground. She unsheathes her sword and slashes it through the air. A blood red portal appears and another figure steps out. She is rather short, with even shorter brown hair and blue eyes colder than Weiss's attitude.

"My lady. I was getting worried. Who are they?" She asks, bowing a little, then leers at us coldly. Why do I feel like she's a bandit?

"No matter, Vernal. I escaped and they helped me. Give the word to our people that they will fight their enemies today." Raven responds. The woman simply nods tthen walks back through the portal, closing it behind her.

"Mom, what's going on?" I demand, staring at her. She looks at me, then sighs and answers.

"Yang, I'm sorry to say that I was born into a tribe of bandits, and we called ourselves the Branwen tribe. My twin Qrow and I left our tribe years after our cousin also fled, and attended Beacon Academy. I never originally meant to leave you and Tai, but Qrow and I had heard stories from a traveler after we left Beacon about an ancient cult and Salem being their most dangerous member. So, when I caught a glimpse of her one day and I realized who she was, I had no choice but to leave you and Tai, thus keeping you out of harm's way; I returned to my people and I began recruiting people so could hunt Salem down. The rest is history. As for what that was about, my people are stationed here, ready to attack and end the White Fang for good. They are not good for my business." Raven said, regret and some resentment in her voice.

"…What?" I ask in shock, then look back at the field, where our allies are being surrounded by the entire White Fang army. But before they could give the final push, dozens of red portals open up and both men and women wearing black and various clothing and wearing masks shaped like Grimm heads, but mostly Beowulf masks, run out and start slashing their swords through the White Fang, who are now trying to fight back. Even the members of the council that I saw before entering Salem's domain are down there and fighting with everything they've got.

But that wasn't the most amazing thing. A faint whirring noise has become apparent, and is getting louder. Even the mad scorpion Faunus who was about to kill a Black Claw bandit, Tyrian, looks up and notices perhaps the greatest gathering of airships, dropships and Bullheads from each of the kingdoms of Remnant flying towards us.

"They made it." I breathe, then sink to my knees in exhaustion, Sander at my side. His eyes are closed, but he's just resting. His eyes snap open again, an alarmed look on his face, but then settles when he sees me. Then he notices the fleet and gives a whistle. "Some fleet. The kingdoms have finally united to end this war." Sander murmurs, still staring out at the fleet in awe. The airships start firing on the White Fang guns and destroying them, despite a few remaining intact after the sabotaging.

Then while the airships stay in the air, the dropships turn around and open up, allowing all their passengers to jump out. I notice several huntsman teams who fought in the Vytal Festival, including Ren and Nora, completely conscious, barreling through the enemy ranks. Oscar is there, swinging around a wide pole and knocking the White Fang soldiers into each other like they are weightless. Even my Dad and Uncle Qrow are going through, beating up any poor soldier who stood in their way. Then comes the soldiers of each kingdom: Atlas, Vale, Mistral and Vacuo. Their guns start tearing through the White Fang soldiers, killing them even quicker. The leaders of these murderers, knowing they've lost, try to run. Only for the White Fang Supreme Leader to get smacked down by a huge metal club. A large, black-haired man is standing there with several Faunus in leather armor.

Thanks to that time when we got to meet each other's families, I know that he is Blake's father. He and several Faunus are with him. "You have taken an organization I started to make peace has lost its soul. I shall help cleanse it from what it has become." He bellows to Sienna Khan in a clear voice. The force of his attack knocked the woman out cold.

Dr. Watts, Tyrian and Hazel both glower at the Blake's father only to get shot by an airship missile. They crawl out of the crater, wounded horribly and bleeding, before just falling to the ground and lying motionless. Tyrian and Hazel, however, manage to remain alive but after a brutal fight with Uncle Qrow, Tyrian's braid of hair is sliced off and he gets launched into the ocean after a titanic upward slash. Hazel gets into a brawl with Dad, but Dad easily won, knocking him to the ground and defeating him.

Now there is no doubt anymore. The battle has truly been won. After everyone starts cheering on how they have finally ended the terrorists and their leaders, they start patching up their wounded, and we even join the crowds, bringing Salem's body with us. When we reach the medical area to get patched up, Dad was stunned beyond words when he saw Raven again, the corpse and what happened to Sander. I decide to spare Sander, or Alexander now, the pain and tell him that he fought a nasty White Fang soldier. Weiss is easily the most freaked out when she saw her friend in such bad condition and it took all of the doctor's effort to not have her run up and do something drastic.

After that drama, Raven finally agrees to come home as well and given transport via airship, we return home while Sander is taken to Vale within a day. I step into my house and look around. Not much has changed since I left, but I still feel complete sorrow for how Sander must be feeling right now. After taking 1st dibs on the shower upstairs, I get cleaned up, put on my yellow tank top and short shorts, go to bed and fall asleep.

The next morning, I get up, take a shower, get on a fresh tank top and brown pants and walk downstairs. As I do so, the Force screeches at me, and a wave of grief flushes through my head. 'Sander.' I think sadly, recognizing his presence, then continue down the stairs. Ruby and Qrow are all there having breakfast already, but Mom and Dad are not.

"Hey. Where are my parents?" I ask, looking around as I get a plate and help myself to the warm scrambled eggs on the stove. Ruby and Qrow look up at me and smile in greeting.

"Oh, they're off taking care of their own things. My sister wants to resign from her tribe for good and Tai left early this morning to go to Vale and pick up Sander so he can stay with us until Beacon starts up again." Qrow answers, drawing his finger in a circular motion around the rim of his glass.

I nod, glad that Dad is picking Sander up. Then I can figure out how to help him recover from everything that happened yesterday. I go into the living room, rub Zwei's head, plop myself on the couch and put on the news. Each news station is announcing how the kingdoms had pulled together each of their armies to defeat the terrorists and as a reward for helping the fight, Menagerie is now considered its own kingdom and Faunus are finally gaining some much-needed respect. There are still some humans who oppose the Faunus race, but they becoming more scarce by the day. Even the rich people of Atlas are starting to put aside their hatred for the Faunus. Smiling at how much Remnant has changed in a good way, put on a movie. I spend all day watching action movies with Ruby, even having a simple sandwich while we have our movie marathon. Easily the best movie we saw a classic action movie that has been around for 30 years, 'Nova,' a movie on how if Remnant ever attained space travel, they would be at war with an army of religious aliens and how a lone ship travels to a space ring called Nova and while the crew sacrifices their ship and is forced to hijack an alien ship, they manage to destroy Nova using an improvised superbomb by destabilizing some highly explosive Dust. The rest were comedy movies on a man who trains to become the world's greatest boxer.

Just as the sun starts setting, Qrow comes up to me and says, "Hey, kiddos. Dinner's ready." He said, placing a hand on my shoulder before walking away. Sighing, me and Ruby get up and go to the kitchen where we all enjoy roasted chicken and mashed potatoes.

But once dinner is done, the front door opens and Raven joins us in the kitchen. "Hello, brother. I hope you are…uncertain about seeing me again?" She said coolly, smiling a warm little.

"No, we're happy to have you back. By the way, where's Dad and Sander?" I answer, then ask with a little worry in my voice.

Raven's smile falls quickly. "They're coming behind me. As for Sander…well, your friend is definitely not acting like himself from what I've heard." She states. Before I can ask what exactly she means, the door opens again and Dad and Sander walk in. Sander looks horrible. His face is gaunt, hair ratty and an expression that shows that his thoughts are a million miles away. His stump of a left arm is now covered by a thick sheet of blue metal.

"All right. Your room is upstairs, across the hall from Yang's." Dad tells Sander, who only nods in understanding.

"Sander!" I said, getting up and pulling him into a hug. He returns the hug, then walks upstairs. "Sander?" I ask hesitantly, confused by his unusual attitude.

"He's been like that all day. He wanted to set up a funeral pyre for that dead woman he brought back." Tai says, looking genuinely concerned. So, Sander took care of his mom's body already.

"But what's got him to act like this?" Ruby mutters, looking at the staircase that Sander climbed up.

"Let's just leave him alone, since that's probably what he wants." I answer, then also stare at the wooden staircase. "I know what's wrong, and can only hope he can sort it out. Have a good night." I said then also climb the staircase and go to my room. Noticing the door to Sanderos's room is open, I see him just sitting on his bed, looking down and his hair covering his face.

I sigh sadly then go to my room and get some rest for tomorrow, hoping that he'll be back to normal somewhat by the morning.

But it wasn't the case. Three entire days pass with Sander giving us the cold shoulder and not even speaking a word. He would come downstairs, have his 3 meals per day, then play a game, do some exercise or stay isolated in his room for the entire day.

At this point, even my carefree uncle is starting to get worried for Sander's mental health. After a silent dinner of beef teriyaki with soy sauce, a recipe Qrow picked up when he traveled Anima, Sander nods, smiling a little then gets up and walks out of the kitchen and back up the stairs. After a few seconds, Qrow also sets up.

"Brother. What are you doing?" Raven asks, staring at Qrow curiously.

"I'm going to figure out exactly what's wrong with him. At least I'll try and get him to so much as speak to us." Qrow answers, going out, but I grab his arm.

"I'll talk to him." He looks at me in surprise.

"You sure, kiddo? He hasn't exactly responded to you either. Since you're here, do you know what's going on with that kid?" Qrow asks, staring at me.

I freeze, then look at everyone else in the room. Everyone is staring at me, especially Qrow and Ruby who have tried to get out of me why Sander's so depressed lately. "Come on, sis. You can tell us anything." Ruby says, staring at me innocently.

Seeing her innocent look, I cave in and give a sigh. "Alright, fine. But as long as you keep it silent from everyone else in the world. Sander's like this because that woman we brought with us was killed."

Qrow, Dad and Ruby look at each other a little confused. "I can understand seeing someone die, but why would he be so rattled like that?" Dad asks.

I look down at my empty plate. Let's just hope he won't be mad at me for saying this. "Because it turns out that she was Sander's mother." Qrow, Dad and Ruby were more dumbfounded than I ever saw them in my life. Then I get up and walk out of the room and head upstairs. I go into my room, get changed into a brown shirt and short shorts, then knock on Sander's door.

Knowing he won't answer, I open the door. Sander is sitting on his bed and staring at me intently. I walk over to his bed and sit on the edge. "Hey." I said, placing a hand on his leg.

He smiles at me, then for the first time in three days, spoke. "Hey."

"So…I know that you are in a lot of pain right now, but…" I said, Sander just looks down, a sad look on his face.

"I know, and I appreciate you being here. It's just that…it's not just that I'm mourning Salem's death. It's what I've been seeing in my dreams the last days that have left me like this." He continues.

Now I myself am confused by Sander's words. "Dreams? About what?"

Sander looks at me, then starts talking slowly. "That day Salem touched my head, she left a part of herself in me. A copy of all her memories of everything she's been through in life. I suppose…I should tell you my mother, Salem Blanco's tale. She was born in the settlement of Mt. Glenn. Before it was destroyed by the Grimm, of course. Her mother, Allison, was a powerful Huntress who was the last descendant of Magnus Greenfield, one of the last king of Vale's most trusted knights, and has golden eyes, while…"

"Why are you mentioning she had golden eyes?" I ask, interested in the reasoning for that.

"Of course, you don't know. It's worth noting she has gold eyes because they are true masters of cunning, fighters at heart and have a unique advantage over the Grimm, just like the warriors with silver eyes. But instead of making Grimm fear and run away, the trait all people with the rare silver eyes have, the people who have golden eyes can hypnotize the Grimm into doing their bidding. That is a very obscure legend that I found in the library one day by accident. But now to continue my story, Salem's father, Jules Blanco, was the CEO and founder of Blanco Energy Company, a business that provided the entirety of Mt. Glenn power for all things in the small city that was to expand Vale, ranging from street lights to stationary defensive weapons that kept the Grimm out. My grandfather was a brilliant and…a unique man, to say the least. Unless it was absolutely required, he never used Dust because of his fear that no matter no vast Dust is on Remnant, he had accepted the fact that one day it will all run out. Had his closest partner, Dr. Merlot, the head of Merlot Industries, not gotten so reckless with his experiments of studying AI production and genetics research, he wouldn't have accidentally summoned the Grimm army that would make Mt. Glenn so infamous. I'm still unsure on why the Grimm would be attracted to those experiments. But in addition, Jules would have completed his life research and started working on his secret dream that only his family heard about: Creating self-sustaining plasma energy cells of varying sizes to power cities or make all technology on the planet more efficient. Had this dream been completed, his name would have gone down in history, just like Nicholas Schnee's name did. The 2 were actually friends at a brief moment in their lives, but their various works and responsibilities kept them from being in touch for long. This is why after I graduate Beacon; I shall be a master Huntsman and Jedi but also go to Mt. Glenn and revive Jules' company, find his research on his energy cell technology, finishing what he started. Anyway, after the Grimm massacred Mt. Glenn, only a few people managed to escape, the Blancos and 3 civilian families."

I muse over his words, marveling on how extraordinary this invention would be. It would create a whole new angle in business, change Remnant forever and the inventor's company would rival the Schnee Dust Company itself. But I focus back on Sander as he continued his story.

"As if the destruction of Mt. Glenn wasn't enough, when Salem was 6 years old, her family was attacked by the Grimm. Allison was killed and Jules went into hiding, never to be heard from again. Salem, however, was rescued by an ancient cult and take into their order. They called themselves Maidenites. Why that is…thousands of years ago, each of the 12 gods that were worshiped had their own order of warriors to uphold their god's honor and leading them is a wizard, a man or woman in the cult blessed by the very gods they worship to lead their people. But 1 of the god cults, Deithos' cult, was almost shattered. Their wizard had grown bitter of the cult's ways and fled the order altogether. Apparently, this is 1 reason why the tale of the 4 Maidens exists. The cultists who believed in Deithos that renamed themselves into the Maidenites, believe that their wizard had given up the powers he had to the original 4 maidens, who remained hidden from the public eye. Instead of upholding their god's legacy, they burned down villages, killing any who stood in their way, even recruited innocents who have great potential into their cause, in their search of taking the powers of the 4 Maidens and returning them to where they came from. At least in their eyes. Salem was one of those hopefuls and after training for years, went through the Initiation and became a Maidenite."

"What do you do to become one of these…cultists?" I ask, sort of sickened by how such an order can exist.

"Well, you fight a monster, the embodiment of your greatest fear so its form is different to each hopeful. In Salem's case, it was the fear of one day failing. If you destroy this monster, then you drink a black liquid. I'm not sure what it is exactly, but it enhances one's body, soul, everything. Their speed, strength, power and more are also enhanced tenfold. This liquid is symbolized as Deithos' blood, and drinking it makes you bound by blood to the god, thereby a servant of darkness and death, much like the Grimm. As for if Deithos is real or not, I have no clue. Salem was a devoted follower, believing in the cause and killing anyone who stood in her way. But once Salem was 16, she figured out what the order made her and fled the cult in disgust to try and live a normal life, deciding to becoming a Huntress-in-training at Beacon Academy. There, she became a team member of Headmaster Ozpin, his brother Albus and Glynda Goodwitch. Despite not being on the best terms at first, they pulled together and became best friends. Starting in 4th year, Ozpin even started dating my mom since they grew close enough for Ozpin to learn about who his teammate was. Making the Headmaster my Godfather and having me named after him. But once they graduated, Salem got thrown for a loop again. The first space program was developed, and Salem volunteered for it. However, that was the trip that showed that Dust is powerful, but not powerful enough to maintain itself in space. Salem pushed on the ship left the planet. After days of drifting alone in a dropship, she passes through the magnetic field separating our galaxies. She would have died had she not been rescued by my father, Daniel Rey, his father and their infamous crew of space pirates. Needless to say, they also went off to a bad start. But over the course of a few years and after his dad passed away, Daniel took over the ship and made it a facade for a noble cause: Continuing the pirate's life while slipping information to the Senate and Jedi Order so they can address the problems. Salem trusted him and after some more time of being together, decided that they loved each other. Then I came along, taking mom's maiden name as a means to keep us safe. Because my mom was already had the Maidenite blood in her, I inherited her status and its powers to a lesser extent, along with a major benefit and detriment. Because my Dad was Force-sensitive, I inherited the Force from him and thanks to the Maidenite blood in me, I am permanently immune to the Dark Side of the Force and its temptations because I already have darkness in me."

The more he talks, the more I'm absolutely amazed. Being immune to the Dark Side since he is already one with it is probably a feat no one has ever attained.

"But as I said, it has a drawback. I am now tempted by my inner powers to commit deeds that would horrify and scar for life. Like when Mercury broke your back in the Vytal Festival, I was tempted to murder him in painful, nasty ways. The real problem, however, comes when you can't control the powers. When I was taken into the Jedi, along with a message she left me, and Daniel along with half his crew were blown up by the CIS, she went through the Eclipse, which is the moment in life when she lost control of her powers and left Corusant, bouncing from planet to planet before hijacking a freighter on Corellia, and returning to Remnant despite the ship being permanently disabled because of the magnetic field. She made a path of destruction and chaos on her journey. When she returned, she saw it as a doomed world and returned to the Maidenites lair. Instead of rejoining them, she murdered most of the members except for those who wished to fight with her to establish a new world order. If any survived, they've long gone into hiding and probably renounced their ways long ago to stay hidden. She led her new Maidenite Council for years, before Cindy Peverell landed on this world much like I did. She was recruited into the cult and tasked with doing the impossible: tasked with tracking down the 4 Maidens, all of whom Salem believes exist. Again, I'm not sure if they are real or not. As for the rest, well, it's history and I hope to 1 day master all of the powers I have yet to experiment with."

I just sit on the bed, nearly forgetting to breath. I had never heard of anyone who went through half the things Salem did. I get up and take Sander's right hand and squeeze it. "I'm so sorry to hear that."

"It's OK. I guess I needed to get it all out and should say I'm sorry for being selfish, acting all distant to you guys who have been so nice to me so I could see all of my mom's memories." Sander answers, squeezing back and smiling. "Thank you for everything and I wish you a good night." He said, then lays back on his bed and stares up at the ceiling, a small smile on his face.

But I just stand there. I should be going to bed as well, but now that I heard about the dreams, the need to be there for him just feels right. When the idea comes to mind, my cheeks start flushing heavily and I can't help but grin. "Actually, Sander. I think I'm going to stay here tonight. Do you mind if I join you?" I ask.

He looks at me, shocked by my suggestion and blushing as well, but nods in agreement, scooting to the other side of the bed and flipping the covers up. Nodding in gratitude, I walk to the bed and crawl under the covers before flipping the blanket back up over us. I wrap an arm around him and place my head on the pillow. Sander flips on his side and stares at me. "Thank you so much…for everything. You really are one of the greatest people I've ever met, even greater than my old Jedi mentor or even Weiss."

I give him a lazy smile, feeling so much happier than I have before. Pulling myself closer to him, I close my eyes and fall asleep, my best friend at my side.

* * *

 _AN:_ Well, the longest chapter I've ever written is finally done!

While I'm sure Salem's backstory is not at all like what it will be on the show, I do believe that a tragedy forms Salem into who she is now and as for the wizard who gave the 4 Maidens their power…well, all-powerful wizards and gods? Don't ask me why, the idea of creating gods worshiped by cults led by blessed wizards just clicked in place for me.

Anyway, thank you for all the support you have given me, and I shall see you next chapter. The last chapter for this story, I think.

I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

I shall see you all in 2017!


	42. White Christmas

_**Merry Christmas to you all and thanks to all the support you have given me by favoriting and following (not just my story), here's a Christmas present I want to give. This Christmas Special chapter will follow my main story but takes places months after the final chapter, Winter Solstice Eve to be precise. I hope you like it, even if I made it all up in 3 days.**_

* * *

 **Nobody's POV:**

* * *

In the early morning of Winter Solstice Eve, the Xiao Long household is already bustling with activity.

Ruby Rose is already up and baking cookies in the kitchen, Taiyang Xiao Long is keeping an eye on Ruby to help her out in case anything gets…dicey. Qrow Branwen and Raven Branwen are out at the local town, picking up any last-minute groceries (and probably some alcohol) for the big celebration. As for Sander Blanco and Yang Xiao Long, they are only just showing signs of waking up. Sander is the first to get out of bed, take a shower and walk downstairs to greet the rest of the family. Since it takes so long to go to Atlas, Sander decided to stay with the Xiao Longs for the Winter break, with which the family agreed to.

As he walks down the stairs, he can't help but stare at the dark blue synthetic arm that now makes up his left arm. Honestly, even for him it's hard to believe that it has been an entire season since he lost his arm and his mother died.

But all too soon, he is down the staircase and greeted with the smell of baking cookies. Walking right into the kitchen, he notices Taiyang watching Ruby and calls out, "Good morning."

"Good morning, Sander." He says, smiling at the sandy-blonde haired boy. Sander walks into the kitchen and makes his way to the fridge, grabbing a gallon of chocolate milk and pours it into a glass before drinking it at the table. Sander was never much of a breakfast person, so just have a few drinks for breakfast and he couldn't have much more.

Meanwhile, Yang just comes down the stairs after her shower and also greets the family before also getting breakfast. "Say, Dad. When is everyone coming over?" Yang asks, looking up at Dad while she makes a bowl of cereal.

"They'll be coming by around lunchtime. What do you say we put up final touches before they get here?" Taiyang responds.

The remaining occupants of the house agree and after they all have some breakfast, start getting to work on putting up the final touches for the house. Yang helps Ruby put up the Christmas tree next to the TV and decorate it while Sander programs the white lights to turn on outside at certain times. As for Taiyang, he is putting together brunch. All the while, snow is falling outside, starting to give the grassy fields a veil of white.

This continues for several hours until 11:35 am, when the one thing they've all been waiting for comes. Sander walks in and calls out, "Hey guys! Look who just arrived!" Before walking inside. Behind him are all of their family friends, including with Qrow and Raven. The newcomers are composed of team JNPR, the rest of teams RWBY, SPAM, even Oscar, Ozpin and Glynda. Everyone gives their greetings, giving hugs and just talking about how life is. After everyone gets settled in the house, they head to the kitchen and have some brunch.

Once everyone is satisfied, even Ruby's cookie tooth, they gather into the living room. "Everyone, thank you for coming to celebrate the Winter Solstice. I would like it if you would stick around for today and on the Winter Solstice. A time when we should be together and become closer friends than before." Taiyang said to everyone in the room.

"Thank you for inviting us here, Tai. I'm sure we'll have a wonderful time staying here." Ozpin responds, smiling at his old friend.

"Oh, yes we will. Let's get started with a game I invented when I was younger, as a means of getting closer with any friends I would make. The subject can be anything I select." Ruby said, contributing to the conversation. Everyone stares at Ruby before looking at each other. Yang shakes her head, knowing that Ruby likes to do this every Winter.

"Well, that actually sounds like fun. What's the topic on?" Oscar asks, looking interested in this game.

"Let's go wacko this year and say 'Most Embarrassing Moments in any Winter Solstice Season.' The winner gets to have the next batch of cookies." Ruby said, grinning like she's deranged.

"I think you've had one too many cookies, Rubes." Yang said, sitting next to Sander.

"Oh no. I'm just fine. Let's get started. I think that Weiss looks like she needs to loosen up, so she's going first." Ruby replies, pointing to Weiss at the end.

"Hey!" Weiss protests, her face flushing in embarrassment. "Alright, fine. Since you want a story, I'll tell you one. It's the reason why I never use guns. So, me and Sander were 9 years old, and were walking home from school. Our school had let out for Winter Solstice break and we returned home after wishing our friends, Flick and Ralph, a happy holiday."

"Flick? Flick who?" Yang jokes, making everyone laugh a little at how it wasn't that bad of a joke.

"I agree, Flick is an odd name, but he was a good friend. Anyway, when we got home, we were greeted by our family. We had a great Winter Solstice Eve and I even got a BB-rifle as a gift on the Solstice, I took it outside, set up a metal target and shot. Because the back of the target was metal, the fake bullet bounced off and hit me in the head, causing me to think I lost my eye for a few seconds. The result of that disaster was the first and last time I said the mother of all curse words. To make it worse, Mom was close enough to hear me say it. After I lost my gun, I had to spend a horrible 15 minutes getting my mouth washed out with soap, then Mom asked me where I heard that word. The truth is, Sander and I heard it from Flick earlier that day when he stubbed his toe against his desk on accident. That's right, every curse word you ever heard and ever will Sander say he learned from Flick years ago. But I slipped up and accidentally said Ralph. When Mom called to tell Ralph's mom about what she thought Ralph said, Ralph's mom went absolutely berserk and forgot to hang up. Leaving us forced to listen for a half hour of Ralph getting smacked silly repeatedly and him screaming in agony. That was not my greatest moment, let me tell you."

No one could believe that the great Schnee heiress actually got a friend into trouble on accident. "I'll never look at you the same again." Ruby teases, earning a glare from Weiss. Alec just snorts in amusement, looking at Weiss with a surprised look. Sander's teammate is a lot more laid back, now that he's been cured of his split personality disorder after the Battle of Freedom months before.

"Yang, you're up now." Ruby said, grinning.

"…Really, sis? OK, fine. It was 15 years old, 2 days before Winter Solstice break, and was going to get cleaned up after a particularly hard work out and wasn't watching where I was going. Instead of going into the girl's bathroom, I walk into the men's locker room. Luckily, no one noticed me before I got out of there. I still haven't gotten the smell of sweat out of my nose." Yang comments, looking a little flustered. Tai, Qrow and Sander stare at Yang, more surprised than the others.

"OK, enough looking at me. It's making me uncomfortable. So, Ruby, who's next?" Yang asks, not wanting to be the center of attention anymore.

"Sander's next. I'm sure he has some interesting story to share." Ruby said, still grinning at Weiss's and Yang's total embarrassment.

"I don't have…any…" Sander starts, then trails off as his eyes widen in horror. "No. Absolutely not. That story is Qrow Branwen-level of embarrassing." That caught their attention.

"Do tell." Raven asks, knowing if Sander's story is anything like what her twin's stories are like, this is going to be highly entertaining.

"I…I…" Sander sputters, looking around, then groaning in exasperation. "Fine, have it your way. There's only 1 way to bring this up. This humiliating moment taught me never to let my curiosity get the better of me again."

Qrow looks confused about Sander's statement, then asks, "Why's that? Being curious is a natural part of being human."

"I agree, but you know you have to keep a lid on it if that curiosity gets you forced into a…All right, I'll spit it out, I found out the hard way what a strip club is."

The silence and confusion that followed that confession could almost be cut with a knife. Even Ruby isn't grinning anymore, such is her surprise as well, having heard about what a strip club is. "Wait, when did you ever go to a strip club?" Weiss demands, looking horrified and offended Sander would go to such a place.

"When I was 10 years old. As you might recall, I went to get a pre-Winter Solstice gift for our English teacher in town, but when I got back, you recall me being absolutely scared out of my mind and wouldn't answer any questions. That's why. I got the gift and passed by a strip club, and since I never heard of one before, I was curious and wanted to know what it was on the outside. But because a large crowd entered, I was pretty much forced to walk inside the building to prevent getting stomped on and subjected to every single horror of that hellhole. Until one of the bouncers spotted me and literally threw me out of the building. To summarize how I felt, it was like just getting released from jail." Sander said, actually shaking a little from the trauma.

Yang stares at him before pulling him into a hug, feeling sympathetic for going through that kind of place at a young age and now understanding his hatred for clubs. "Well, that's definitely bad. I'm out." Qrow says. Everyone who didn't want to participate in this game, which pretty much included everyone, drops out.

"Well Sander, looks like you win." Ruby said.

"Hoorah." He responds half-heartedly, his cheeks burning with his humiliation. After that embarrassing attempt at passing the time, the next few hours are spent hanging out at the house, watching classic movies on the TV, popping corn in the fireplace as a snack, even playing a few board games. This continues, including a typically heavy holiday dinner and desserts, until 7:00 and the snow is still falling. Sander stands up and looks at Yang, who's sitting on the couch, bored. "Hey, Yang. What do you say we take a walk and, you know, get some fresh air and walk off dinner? I've never been to Sanus during Winter Solstice close to night, come to think of it." He suggests.

Yang looks at him in surprise then nods. She also gets up and the 2 go upstairs to get on jackets. Yang got on her brown jacket while Sander is wearing a black one with blue insides and the tips folded outward. They walk back downstairs and head to the door when Tai walks to them. "Just where are you 2 going?" He asks, looking between Sander and Yang with a hint of suspicion.

"Just for a walk. We won't get into any trouble. After all, what can go wrong?" Yang said quickly. Her father looks at her then sighs.

"Well, since you're almost adults, I'll let you go. Just remember to come back soon. If those weather-people are right, and this time they might be, a huge snow storm is on its way. I want you back by the time it comes."

"We will." Yang said confidently then the couple walk out of the house and into the biting air.

"Yeah, this is almost like back home up in Atlas, but warmer." Sander comments, rubbing his exposed hands together.

"I'll bet. I've seen the picture and it looks much colder." Yang comments, referring to the painting Sander left at his Beacon dorm, then closes the door and they start walking.

"So…Where are we going?" Sander asks as they keep walking, taking in the view around them.

"There's one place to truly get a great view of this forest. Come on." She answers, then starts running. A little surprised, Sander also starts running to keep up. The 2 keep on running, battling the winds a little, before coming to the edge of a cliff that overlooks a vast majority of the forest. On the edge of said cliff is a stone slab with a rose symbol on it.

"Wait. Is this where Summer's buried?" Sander asks, a little unnerved.

"Yes." Came Yang's short answer. For several minutes, they stare out at the vast forest below the cliff. "So…Nice view, huh?"

"Oh yeah. I actually like it much better than Atlas's landscape." Sander remarks. Just then they hear a loud growling. "Are you kidding me? We can't have a day of peace?" He bemoans, whirling around with Yang. Sure enough, 3 Beowulves are standing behind them, growling menacingly at Sander and Yang.

"Well, we wanted a workout, so we're getting one." Yang said, smiling and getting into a fighting stance, with Sander doing the same. But before they could fight, the wind starts picking up in speed. It is now so harsh that Sander and Yang are struggling to stay on their feet.

"We need to jump down! We can't stay up here." Sander said to Yang, who nods reluctantly. They run to the edge of the cliff. "You ready? Go!" He shouts then they both jump off as the Beowulves slash at the spot they were at a second before. The air pushes up against Sander and Yang as they fall to the ground below.

"Alright, Hot Shot. Now's the time you tell me your idea to getting out of this." Yang said as they continue falling.

"Kick off from a tree trunk then use your momentum to swing down." Sander replies, then when they crash into the tree cover, kicks from one of the trees then runs along the branches until he reaches the snowy ground. Yang also kicks from the trees, but gets into a rolling position then rolls in a ball to ease the tension in her body when she reaches the ground.

"That wasn't what I was expecting today." Yang said, looking up at the top of the cliff. The Grimm are gone, nowhere to be seen. "I think I've had enough walking. Let's get back home."

Sander nods, helping her back to her feet. Yet another set of growls is heard and a lone Beowulf walks up to them, the cliff, behind the monster.

"Can't we get a d &* break?" Sander demands, holding out both his hands. Dark red fire shot out from both hands, burning the Grimm as it smashed into the cliff behind it. As the Grimm dissolved, the cliff rumbled. The rocks start falling from the cliff-side, too far left for the memorial to be affected, but snow starts falling towards the duo. "Aw, son of a-" Sander didn't finish as the snow hit them with a force that knocked both of them out cold.

When Yang came around, the sky is darker, but colors can still be discerned. She sits up, covered in snow and rock, looking around to notice that the snow is coming down harder, but not as windy, and notices a familiar blue and black mechanical hand sticking out of the snow as well. "Sander!" She shouts, running to him and pulling him out. He starts groaning as he is pulled into a sitting position, his cheeks bright red after being in direct contact with the cold. He then looks up at the sky.

"Well, your Dad will kill us if the Grimm don't for being out this late." Sander remarks dryly. Just then, they heard a tree branch snap. Adrenaline pumping through both of their veins, they whirl around ready for another fight.

But instead of more Grimm, they find a young faunus boy staring at them with large friendly black eyes. He looks about 16 years old, with red hair, pale skin, decently sized deer horns, a bright red nose and a slightly slender build. He is wearing a thick red jacket and jeans. The duo could sense something about him, but dismissed it for the time being. The boy raised his hands in surrender.

Sander and Yang immediately drop their arms. "Sorry, I thought you were another Grimm." Sander said, staring at the faunus.

"What's your name?" Yang asks, keeping a safe distance in case the boy gets panicked.

The boy looks surprised by their reaction at seeing him. Then answers, "Rudolph. Rudolph Donners."

"Nice to meet you, Rudolph. My name is Yang Xiao Long." Yang said, giving him a kind smile.

"Nice to meet you, too. I'm Sander Blanco." Sander said, not wanting to use his full name. Rudolph looks at Sander in shock.

"Wait, Blanco? I've heard about your family. They were a powerful family of kind humans who led the former Blanco Energy Company in Mt. Glenn. They're the reason Mt. Glenn lasted as long as they did. My mom is one of the few survivors of that disaster."

Sander's eyes fall to the ground, a look of grief on his face. "I'd rather not talk about it. But please don't feel sorry for bringing it up. I have to ask, though, why are you out here by yourself?"

Rudolph looks at the 2 humans, surprised at how nice they are to him and his face morphed into one of sadness, before answering, "It's always been my dream to be a professional pilot ace for Vale and make many friends. But my father wants me to be a pilot who protects his former home of Mantle. Our arguing got nasty and resulted in me running away from home. However, now that I've grown up, I know that I can't keep running anymore and am trying to go home."

"We'll help you." Sander said confidently. Yang was torn between wanting to find a way back up the cliff and going home and helping him. In the end, Yang decided to help the faunus since it was the right thing to do. Afterwards, they would find a way to get back home.

"Why not? Sign me up too."

Rudolph once again looks dumbfounded, not used to such kindness from humans. Of course, humans have respected the faunus more than ever after the battle on that island in Sanus months before, but he wasn't expecting this from them. "Thank you so much. My home is on the other side of this mountain range. Come on." With that, Rudolph starts running into the woods at a quick pace.

Sander and Yang look at each other before chasing after their new friend, running towards a mountain range. After a few seconds of running, they catch up with him. They are at the base of a tall mountain that stretches high into the darkening sky, several others of equal size on each side. "Are you ready? Let's beat this mountain at its own game." Then without further ado, start climbing up the mountain.

"This is like our first mission, but only going up instead of down." Sander mumbles, slipping on a rock before catching himself with his robot arm. The power of the arm nearly crushes the rock, but Sander manages not to do so.

Yang nods, knowing what Sander's talking about, but also slips on a rock. "Hey Rudolph!" She calls up to the boy, who looks back with a raised eyebrow. "I think we need to find a way to make a light. It's too dark to continue and not slip on rocks or snow."

"You want light? I can give us some." Rudolph answers then to Sander's and Yang's amazement, starts glowing with a red light. They both shield their eyes from the light, only for it to dim considerably. "Sorry. Since I want to be a Huntsmen-in-Training next semester, I got my Aura and Semblance unlocked. My semblance allows me to glow brightly and blind my enemies, giving me an edge in a fight."

Sander is impressed, having never heard of a semblance like that. Maybe it's enhanced by the Force…That's when it hit Sander. That feeling when he first met Rudolph and pushed away, he realized that Rudolph Donners is yet another Force-Sensitive. He looks at his girlfriend, and judging by her wide eyes, she also figured it out. "Whoa." Rudolph's voice said. They look back at the faunus, who is staring at Sander's mechanical arm with excitement in his eyes, the light shining off its blue surface. "Is that a prosthetic arm? From the looks of it, it's state-of-the-art Atlas technology. How did you get so lucky?"

Sander looks at the arm and sighs at Rudolph's natural cheerfulness. "I got it after I lost my real arm in that fateful battle months ago."

Rudolph looks surprised at Sander's statement, but stays quiet as they keep climbing the mountain, Rudolph's light semblance being their guides. "So…do you have any particular stories about that day? I heard about it from one of the TVs at the video store in Vale."

Sander looks up, deciding that now's not the time to bring up the Force or what happened in the underground domain, decides to tell the faunus he's already starting to see as a friend about how a spy working for Vale found the location of the island by accident, he, Yang and their friends rode on a pirate ship and got bombarded with enemy fire. Sander starts telling Rudolph about how they had slipped onto an enemy White Fang speedboat when they hear a loud growling from behind.

"Really? Again?" Yang bemoans, then punches the Beowulf behind them that crawled out of a cave. It roars as it falls off the side. Just then, more Grimm start running at them from the top of the mountain. Sander uses his fire semblance to try and burn them, but there are too many to defeat. Rudolph gets into a running position, a determined look on his face.

"Hey, Grimm! Follow me!" He shouts, enhancing his semblance and running up the hill, leading the 5 Grimm that survived Sander's fire away from him and Yang. The Grimm, composed of both Beowulves and Ursa, start running and building up speed as they try to eat Rudolph. Just as they get close enough, Rudolph jumps high into the air and lands behind the Grimm, making them run off the cliff in the process. The Force swirled around the faunus, having fueled his jump. That stunned Sander and Yang who were ready for a fight.

"How did you do that?" Sander asks, shaking the snow buildup off his hair.

Rudolph actually looks embarrassed, then sighs in defeat. "Well, even as a kid I could feel this strange…energy around me. I learned that if I concentrate enough, I can do many things. I'm not joking about…"

"No, we believe you." Sander says quickly, "In fact, I know what it is. But I'll tell you about it one day."

Rudolph has a surprised look, but nods in understanding and walks to the top of the mountain. He stares down the mountain for several seconds. "Rudolph? What's wrong?" Yang asks, climbing to the top as well.

"I'm home. It's so strange to see it again." He answers. Sander and Yang look down the mountain, seeing a small wooden house and a cobblestone path snaking through the forest. Next to the house is a metal garage that's almost as big as the house.

"Nice place." Sander comments, his eyes widening a little in fear. Rudolph nods then runs down the hill, faster than normal because he's going downhill and a Faunus. Yang and Sander start running after him, nearly tripping on loose rocks. But after several tense minutes, they are walking to the front door of the house.

Rudolph, his semblance turned off, looks at the 2 humans he now considers his friends then takes a breath. "Here goes nothing." Then presses the button on the right of the door. Music could be heard on the other side of the door and in seconds, the door is opened. A woman with short red hair opens the door, gasping when she saw Rudolph and hugged him tightly.

"Who is it?" A male voice asks and out steps a tall man with brown hair and deer horns. He sees his face and his face morphs to one of shock. "Rudolph, it's so good to see you again." He said, smiling at his son who broke from his mom's hug. The man finally notices Sander and Yang, who are standing away, looking uncomfortable. "Who are they?"

"Mom, Dad. This is Sander Blanco and Yang Xiao Long. They helped me make it over the mountain range. Listen, I'm so sorry for running away."

Rudolph's father looks surprised at hearing that, but gives a smile. "It's good to know you're OK, and I'm sorry for trying to encourage you into being what you didn't want to be." He then looks at Sander and Yang. "Thank you for bringing our son home. How can we help you?"

"Oh, we got pulled away from our home as well. We couldn't leave him for himself, so we helped him. As for any help, that's OK. It was a good thing to do." Yang says, beating Sander to the punch.

"Have a great Winter Solstice. Who knows, we may meet again." Sander said, then they start making their way make to the mountain, but Rudolph stops them.

"Wait! You brought me here, so it's only fair that I bring you home. Using my plane. Come on." Rudolph then runs to the garage. The door opens up and sure enough, is a bright red metal plane made years before. On each side of the thick wings are open cockpits with a turret in front and retractable glass domes to protect them. "All aboard!" Rudolph shouts, getting on a brown helmet with goggles. Sander and Yang look at each other, a little nervous about how this is going to turn out, but still get into the slots on each side of the plane. Rudolph gets himself settled in the pilot seat then pulls the pit closed. Seconds later, the plane flares to life and drives out of the garage, pulling into the air. For the next few minutes, they fly over the mountain range and the forest. Rudolph was a very good pilot, keeping the plane steady even in the harsh winds. Soon, they pass over Summer's memorial and return to the house. "There!" Yang says over the built-in communication system, pointing to the house.

"That's a nice house." Rudolph comments as he sets the plane down on the ground. Sander and Yang get out of the plane and look up at their new friend. "Thanks for everything. I'll be seeing you again one day. But for now, good night and have a happy Winter Solstice." With that, the cockpit closes up and the plane takes off and flies away from them.

"What a nice boy." Yang comments, staring at the silent plane as it flies away.

"Agreed. I truly do believe that we will see him again." Sander said, then adds, "Let's go inside. The cold is finally getting to me." They head to the front door, and open it. Yang treads in lightly, expecting her Dad to come barreling at them, demanding where they were. But such a thing didn't happen. They walk into the living room, and notice that everyone is completely asleep. Even Qrow is passed out on the sofa, a bottle of whiskey in his hand that isn't laying on the couch. Sander gets seated in an empty chair and opens his Scroll.

"What are you doing?" She asks, looking at his Scroll as he types in a password. The screen pulls up and a short list of names are present. "Wait, is this that list of every Force-Sensitive we know of for when we start recruiting and building the New Jedi you wanted to create?" Yang asks, staring at the screen. She saw her name, Sander's and a few other names, even Whitley Schnee, although the word Suspect in parentheses is next to it.

"Yes." Sander said, adding Rudolph Donners to the list before looking up at his greatest friend. "I have to say; this was an interesting Winter Solstice Eve and I want to thank you for helping me return Rudolph home." He then gets up and walks upstairs with Yang following closely behind. He walks into his room, smiling at her. "Have a good night, and I shall see you tomorrow morning."

"Good night." Yang waves to him, then closes her door, crawls into bed and finally gets to sleep, a smile on her face.

Meanwhile, the snow is still falling outside, hiding every trace that their small adventure ever happened.

* * *

 _AN:_ I really do hope you like my Christmas Special. Do know that I have a sequel for this story in mind as well as a prequel, but as for if the sequel happens remains a mystery to me. If it does work, it will take place in the Star Wars Rebels era. If anyone can tell me how and where I can watch the show for free and not have to deal with free trials, I will tell said person what my beta for my story will be when I finish it, but before it ever comes out!

Once again, Merry Christmas to each and every one of you. I hope you have a wonderful holiday and I will see you in 2017.

This is sonicXben, signing out for 2016.


	43. Chapter 41: It's My Life

_Italics_ = music

 _Underline-italics_ = spirit speech

* * *

 **Sander Blanco's POV:**

* * *

The very next morning, my eyes flutter open and I sit up. I rub my eyes, feeling a lot better than I have in days. Which is saying something.

A second later, I feel a comforting presence next to me and look to my right. I blush with high intensity when I see Yang sleeping next to me, smiling dreamily when the memories of last night come crashing into my head. I also smile, stroking her hair a little with my only arm, before the scariest thought possible crosses my mind.

What kind of ass-kicking to high heaven will Taiyang give me if he catches me like this? With a little panic, I throw the covers off and get up. Gently, I lift Yang's head and lay it down on the pillows. Sighing, I walk out of my bedroom and down the staircase to get some breakfast. When I arrive at the bottom of the staircase, I notice Qrow and Raven sitting in the kitchen talking with Ruby sitting in front of the TV, watching a comedy. Speaking of movies, I get the feeling something big is happening today, but I can't remember what.

"Morning." I said to the trio. They all simultaneously stop what they're doing and look at me as if they're seeing me for the first time in years. A look of sympathy is on their faces for a second before they return to neutral looks. I am a little concerned about why, but decide to ask later.

"Well, the silence has been cured. I guess that silence isn't gold after all." Qrow remarks, leaning back in his chair.

I laugh a little. "I guess not. Hey, where's Tai?" I ask, just noticing the blonde man is nowhere to be seen.

"He decided to go out and get some groceries today. He also wanted to pick something up that General Ironwood himself wants to give him. He should be back soon." Raven answers.

"Huh. Busy man." I mumble, going to the fridge and pouring a glass of chocolate milk and drink it at the table. I tried having an entire breakfast with my drinks one time, eggs, crepes and the deal, and spent the next 2 hours trying to keep my aching stomach from regurgitating it. Once I finish my breakfast, I hear the door open.

I get up and walk to the door, where I see Tai walking into the house, wobbling as he is trying to literally carry everything in this hands. It reaches the point where some of the items fall off the pile. Luckily, I make a mad dash, using the Force to slow the fall and grab the bag. "Here. Let me take some of that." I said, taking some of the bags from Tai before any more disasters can occur.

Taiyang stares at me, surprise on his face for a second before a smile forms on his face. "It's good to see you like this again. You had us all worried."

My face falls a little. "I know, and I'm sorry about being a jackass." Then I notice a long metal box on the bottom of Tai's small mountain. "What's that?"

"Oh, it's something special. Help me get unloaded and I'll show you." Tai responds, walking into the kitchen. Everyone helps out in unloading everything, except Yang. Seriously, how hard can she sleep?

Once we're all done, we all stare down at the metal case. The symbol of Atlas is emblazoned on the top in black. "Open it. What you find inside his yours and only yours, Sander. Ironwood had some of his top scientists' study and modify it a little."

Curiosity flowed through me, but not overwhelm me. Not again. I open the box. Set out in a thick velvet case, is the gleaming, sleek silver arm I found when we infiltrated the White Fang's headquarters. My smile slips a little, Salem's memories of that Maidenite fresh in my mind. Dr. Watts had cut off the arms of prisoners, studied his specimens closely and after years of experiments, expertly created a replacement arm that is just as complex as a real arm, fueled by the person's blood. Thanks to this innovation, I can even channel my semblance and Aura through it, just like I could with my previous arm.

"Hi everyone." A familiar voice says, and we all look up to see Yang walking downstairs, her hair messier than ever having just gotten up. She looks at me, then notices the arm in the case. She looks at me and flashes an encouraging smile. "Well, try it on. You deserve it."

I stare at her and look at Tai, Ruby, Qrow, Raven. They are also looking at me expectantly. "Well, here goes nothing. What can possibly go wrong?" I say then grab the metal arm by the top. It gleams brightly in the sunlight as I examine it. Not waiting another second, I have the arm facing the right direction and the top pointed up and hold the arm to my blue metal plate. A moment of silence passes before I feel stabbing pains. I shout in surprise and lift the arm aside to see what's going on. To my horror, tiny tubes are rising up from the arm, digging themselves into my arm. Instead of ripping it off like a normal person would, I hold the metal arm to the stump. The pain is excruciating, borderline unbearable.

"Are you OK?" Yang asks with concern, hoisting me up after I hunch over from the pain.

"Yeah. Kind of annoyed that I walked myself into that one, though." I said, wincing as the stabs become less frequent, but still extreme. After 2 minutes, the pain goes away. I look down at my new arm in amazement. It has fused itself onto my arm, so now it looks like a true part of me. I will the arm to clench the fist and it immediately responds.

"Did I forget to mention that Ironwood warned me that when you put that arm on, you can't take it off again?" Tai asks sheepishly. I give him a sharp look, really irritated he didn't tell me that or the process hurt, but that's past now. The fact that both Yang and her father helped me out of a dark place and put me back together is something I am truly grateful for.

"So…aside from getting a new arm, what are you guys up to?" I ask, finally pulling my eyes away from my arm.

"Well, I think that I'm going to do some work around here. The holidays are on their way, after all." Tai responds.

"Eh, I think that hunting some Grimm might be good for me." Qrow responds, leaning back in his seat.

"I'll join him. In case those old muscles fail him." Raven says, smiling a little. Qrow glares at Raven for calling him old, but amazingly keeps his mouth shut.

"I want to go to the weapons shop! I heard a new weapon's been made, so I want to check it out." Ruby says, really fast as usual, and giddy. Yang shrugs, a sign that says she's got no plans. An idea clicks in my head, a crazy one, but it would definitely be a surprise.

"I'm also going to go out and wander the town for a while, get used to my arm. I'll be back in a little while." I said, then get up and walk back up the stairs. Getting a blue shirt, khaki pants, my wallet and my special bandana, I go to the showers to get cleaned up. Once finished, I get changed and leave the house. I close the door behind me and close my eyes and start concentrating, sinking into the Force's embrace. That dissolving feeling I felt when we infiltrated and destroyed the CIS ship consumes my body, but within seconds, it goes away. I open my eyes and see that I am at the canal where the pirate ship had sunk days before. I jump into the water, using the Force to create an air bubble around my head and swim down. The pressure was too much for my liking, but I reach the bottom of the canal, where the ship is still in one piece.

I keep swimming down until I reach the ship deck. Going even further, I find the closed door. I try to open with my natural hand but realize it's jammed. I look at my new left arm, I shrug and punch the door. The door cracked violently and falls backward, floating a little since I'm underwater. I look down at my new arm in amazement, now wary of ever putting too much power behind it. Not wanting to spend much longer, I swim deeper and deeper into the ship, passing by open doorways leading to various cabins. The glint of something caught my attention and opening one of the doors, find something I've lost since the battle. My modified battle armor, which I set under my hammock so I could reach it quickly.

'Eh, what the heck?' I think and go inside, start grabbing my armor then swim back to the bottom of the ship, where all of the TigerSharks are. As I had remembered, Yang's bike Bumblebee is still there. I swim to the bike, lay the armor over the bike and haul everything up and back to the bank of the canal. By the time I break the surface, I was starting to breath heavily, taking in the fact I'm not breathing stale air. I wheel the bike onto the ground and sit down, staring at the scene before me. It truly is fascinating, seeing the forest on both banks, but also seeing the turrets and flattened grass where the White Fang waited for us, before striking.

Shaking the shouts of battle out of my head, I look at the modified motorcycle. As I expected, the bike is much too waterlogged and probably damaged in one way or another, so taking it into a shop is the best thing to do. To do everything, I'll need to be sneaky. So after concentrating and holding onto my armor and bike, I teleport back to the Xiao Long household. Going into the forest that the house is neatly in, I use the Force to slip armor neatly back into my closet, then use it again to evaporate all the water off me and my clothes, grab the motorcycle before teleporting to an abandoned back alley on Patch. Patch is an island I had visited a long time ago on vacation with the Schnees so I know enough of the layout to get to the island that's probably an hour's drive from Tai's house.

Walking out of the alley, I come to the wide streets where cars are driving on the roads and people walking down the streets, but because it's nearly lunchtime, there's few people on the sidewalks. Across the street is a large custom motorcycle shop name 'Authentic Harley's Motorcycles.' Blared in bright red letters. Crossing the street, I make my way inside, only to be greeted by a man with whip lashed brown hair tied back into a ponytail. "Hello. How can I help you?" He asks, raising an eyebrow at my metal arm but not saying anything.

"Yes. This motorcycle belongs to a friend and it got really waterlogged. Could you do a check-up and repairs if any are necessary?" I ask nicely.

"What a daredevil. Of course, just give me a half hour to do everything." A man whose name tag says 'Nick responds, peeling his interested eyes from my arm and takes the motorcycle from me and heads to the backroom. Trusting that he'll take care of it, I walk outside and have a look around. I took in everything until I notice the large Drafthouse Movie theater. On one of the posters that features a single futuristic Bullhead flying off a planet, I remember what I have forgotten earlier today.

Today is the opening day for the 2nd movie in the 'Nova' saga, one of my favorite movies ever, starring action hero Spruce Willis and supposedly having a new album of all-new songs from famous rock bands that started 30 years ago, the same ones who made the music that was in Nova 1. Like a bolt of lightning striking me for the 66th time*, I know what to do with Yang today. Walking down the sidewalks, I walk to the front of the building and buy 2 tickets for a showing about 2 hours from now. Once finished, I return to the bike shop and wait for a few minutes before Nick walks back to me, a gleaming Bumblebee at his side. "Well, some systems were damaged by water but it was easy to fix up. That will be 30 Lien for the job."

"OK." I said, getting out my wallet and giving him the money.

"Thank you and have a nice day. Also, can you tell that blonde Yang I said hi? I was the one to customize and sell this cycle to her." Nick said. I just nod, then wheel it out of the shop. Looking around, I cross the street again and enter a side alley. I concentrate heavily on my other powers, causing my sight to tint red and look around. Sensing no life watching me, I shift my focus to the Force. Successfully, I teleport back to the house. I think I can say that I'm getting better at it. I wheel the bike to the small log shed next to the house, opening the door with the Force, then cover the cycle with a tarp lying nearby. Once I finish my job, I return to the house and walk inside. Everyone is already at the kitchen having a simple lunch of beef fajitas and tortillas. "So…what's up with you all?" I ask, seeing that only Tai and Yang are still here.

"I could ask you the same thing." Yang says, taking a bite of her lunch.

"Out on the town." I respond, sitting down and also getting into the tacos. Tai's cooking never ceases to amaze me. Once we finish eating lunch, I suck in sharp breath, knowing this will be stressful. "Hey Yang. I'm going out into town again in a few minutes. Do you want to come?"

She looks at me, surprised, but nods in interest. "Cool. I want to give you something I think you'll really like. Come outside and I'll show you. But I want to grab something. Bring your helmet, though. You'll want it." With that, I stand up and push the seat under the table. Yang looks even more shocked that I gave her something and confused at my words, but also stands up and heads to the door. I run up to my room and grab my special red disk of rock music so I can play it on our ride and pocket it. In a few seconds, Yang is outside, waiting for me. She now has on a really long brown jacket with 2 ends on opposite sides reaching down her legs and the yellow helmet at her side.

"OK. So what's this thing you want to give me?" Yang asks, a little curiosity in her voice.

"Close your eyes and follow me." I said then we start walking into the shed, Yang following behind. I open the garage door and guide her inside. "Alright. It's safe to open your eyes now." Yang does so and notices the tarp. Her eyes widen as she figures it out, then pulls the tarp off.

"You brought it back…" She trails up, then stares at me like she's never seen me before, gratitude alight in her bright eyes. "Thank you so much!"

 _"No, I must thank you, for freeing an entire planet from the ancient evils that wanted to rule."_ A very familiar voice I haven't heard what feels like forever says, followed by the appearance of Qui-Gon just outside the shed. _"This planet is truly a unique and remarkable one, full of promise to be on par with even Corusant, come the time. You both have come far from the day I started your trials, so I think it's safe to say you are both Jedi Masters, since I have nothing more to show you. It is time that the Rise of the Jedi occurs. May the Force be with both of you and every Force-sensitive on this planet and others in every endeavor."_ Suddenly, the wind starts blowing and Qui-Gon smiles at us one last time before dissipating and the dots of light that result start flying away.

I know now that the Jedi Qui-Gon Gin is finally at peace.

Once the lights go away, Yang looks back at me. "So…what do you want to do today?" She asks, looking at me with excitement.

I reach into my pockets and my tickets. "Yang, would you like to go out with me to the movies? Have our first date be…" Then show her the tickets, "today, the day Nova 2 comes out?"

Yang looks ecstatic, then pulls me into a tight hug, a gesture I return gladly. "I love you so much." She said when the hug is broken.

"You too." I said, looking at her with a bright smile and walk back towards Bumblebee. Yang gets seated on the bike, putting on her helmet. "Wait. Before we go, I would like to put on some rock music, one of the many reasons I love Nova. But this album I got as a gift while I was on Gaia, during the final days of the Sith Empire." I said, then get out my red disc, bearing the label ' Rockin' Soundtrack, Volume 1' and reaching around Yang, but run into a problem. "Hey, how do you..." I start to ask, but Yang grabs the disk and opens a panel I didn't notice before, inserts my disk inside, then closes it. Mere seconds after she pushes the play button, heavy beats start playing before a voice starts singing.

" _Another night in any town. You can hear the thunder of their cry. Ahead of their time. They wonder why…In the shadows of a golden age, a generation waits for dawn. Brave carry on. Bold and the strong. Only the Young can say…"_

Yang listens to it, smiles broadly before kicking Bumblebee into action. I grab onto Yang as she rides her bike out of the shed and we start our journey to Patch at reckless speeds, music playing all the way as we head to our first date.

All is well now.

* * *

 _AN:_ Well, this was a fun story to write. Please post a review giving consent, and I might add another chapter later featuring Ozpin's POV throughout this story.

Before you ask, yes, I am a HUGE Journey fan. I put this in also to be a tribute for Journey making it into the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame.

*Can anyone guess what I'm referencing here?

Anyway, I shall see you soon with this story's prequel, 'The Heart of Death,' where everything is explained.

Speaking of which, I am considering writing a sequel and am starting to watch Star Wars Rebels, so if anyone can PM me where Lothal is on the Star Wars map, thank you!

Once again, thank you so much for reading this story and I hope you truly enjoyed it. This story is one of the first I ever created and one of my favorites.

For now, "Hasta la Vista, Baby."

 _ **Official Announcement as of Dec. 7th, 2017:**_

Hey readers. I completely understand that Salem went OOC at the very end of the story and that you're probably cursing me because of it. Don't you worry, though. I have something special planned in the future that will return her to her canon self. Assuming I learn more about Salem in the epic RWBY Volume 5 by the time I get around to the idea.


End file.
